The Twist in The Story
by xxMusicalMime
Summary: "It seemed wrong. Draco loved Hermione, and Astoria would've ran out of reasons to avenge on Hermione while in Azkaban. Plus, that ungodly shade of blond hair was not the one Astoria would've picked." Sequel to How Things Are Going To Be. -Complete!
1. What Happened

_**A/N:** I didn't want to leave 'How Things Are Going To Be' just like that, now, would I? :)_

_I started missing writing it for four hours and now I'm writing again! Whooowee!_

_If you are reading this, I suggest that you read 'How Thing Are Going To Be' first, as this is a sequel._

_And with that said, I ask you to all enjoy! :))_

* * *

"_No!" she screamed. "Please, don't hurt them! I'll give you anything, anything you want!"_

_Her opponent merely chuckled, swishing her short and spiky hair, and letting go of the child. She was really easy to bend. "I've already gotten it, you fool." She said hoarsely and revealed the motionless and unmistakably dead form of Draco behind her, spread-eagled on the floor._

"_NOOOOOO!" Hermione screeched, sobbing into her tangle of bushy hair. The other giggled._

"_Relax, Mudblood. It's only a boggart. Watch: _Riddikulus," _the blonde said, waving her wand above the body. It vanished and was replaced of a bloody Inferius walking towards her like a mummy. She waved her wand again lazily and the boggart vanished in a wisp of smoke._

"_Don't you dare touch my Draco, Mudblood. You stole him from me. I still have that grudge on you. You've got twins from him, but I'll take them away from you along with the other things you treasured that were rightfully mine. And after all these years, I'll finally have my revenge!" she shouted to the ceiling dramatically, let out an evil cackle, and disappeared. _

_Hermione continued to sob, her arms shielding her twins from any harm. They had silent tears running down their cheeks, and their eyes witnessed everything. Megara nearly even cried out when she saw her father dead. _

"_Dad?" Michael called out behind Hermione's arms to the door that stood ajar. He ducked around his mother's arms, went out of their room, and screamed into the hall. "Dad!"_

_No reply. Panic rushed through everyone's body. What had that mad woman done?_

* * *

Hermione sat up, panting, beads of sweat running down her face. She knew she screamed the moment she heard feet pounding on a wooden floor. Seconds later, Ginny Potter appeared, looking flustered.

"Hermione, you alright?" she asked timidly. Hermione nodded and looked at the bedside table of the guest room where she was currently sleeping. A cold cup of tea sat there. She heated it and was about to drink it when Ginny vanished it.

"I can make you a new one, don't worry," she said reassuringly. Minutes later, a warm cup of soothing tea sat snugly in between Hermione's hands, half-empty. She looked around the Potter's room, roving over picture frames, cabinets, cupboards, broomsticks, and clothes. Her eyes finally stopped on the alarm clock beside the lamp on top of the bedside table.

12:45 a.m.

She sighed. It was exactly four hours ago that Hermione called to her best friends for help. Harry and Ginny, who were just getting ready for sleep themselves, immediately invited her and the twins over to their house in Godric's Hollow. Harry had to report this to the Ministry, and before Hermione could say 'thank you' he Flooed himself to office.

"You haven't told me the story, yet," Ginny said slowly. Hermione closed her eyes and began, every single memory flooding into her mind.

* * *

_This really is perfect._

_Draco sighed and smiled in the moonlight. Hermione closed her eyes, listening to Draco's heartbeat steadily drumming in his chest. _

"_Mom! Dad!" the twins yelled from their bedroom window. They jumped and turned around just as a streak of light targeted them. They jumped apart, barely dodging it, so that it hit a tree. Draco fished his wand out._

"_Hermione! Go get the kids. I'll take over here," he ordered, wiping his forehead nervously. Hermione nodded and dashed up the stairs back to the manor and up to the children's bedroom._

"_Mom! There was a woman here looking for you and daddy!" Megara squealed, frightened, as she jumped into Hermione's arms the moment she walked in. Michael ran and found comfort and safety in his mother's arms. Hermione buried her face between their heads deeply._

"_I'm glad you two are alright…" she muttered into their hair, kissing their foreheads. She looked up just as the window illuminated a purple streak of light._

"_You two stay behind me," she ordered, and very slowly, they peeked out the window to see the commotion._

"_Come out, come out, Greengrass!" Draco was shouting, turning a full 360 degrees, pointing his wand at a random bush. He licked his lips hungrily, wanting revenge for all this years. _

"_Drakkie," a voice cooed shrilly in a perfect impersonation of Pansy Parkinson, and Astoria Greengrass shot out of a tree, her wand flashing. "Why weren't you there when they released me from that dreadful prison?" she asked, pouting._

"_Because I never wanted you released, you sniveling slut," Draco retorted coolly, and that removed the blonde's flirtatious manner. She growled and sent a number of curses towards him. They targeted him like missiles and torpedoes, and luckily, they missed._

"_What did that dreadful Mudblood do to you?" she shrieked, twirling her wand this way and that. Draco danced around, dodging everything. At this, he snarled. Michael heard that and he suddenly wanted to fight that woman, too._

"_You don't have anything against Hermione," he said, "and Muggles. You've been venturing out into the Muggle world, have you?"_

"_And how did you say that?" she spat._

"_Because of that wig of yours. Truly whimsical… even the shape is unrealistic!"_

_She snapped. "This isn't a wig, you fool! This is my hair!" She glanced up to see Hermione's forehead quickly withdrawing, bared her teeth, and directed her next spell, a Disarming one, through the window. It hit the floor, bounced off the walls, and finally hit the mirror, cracking it into millions of little glass shards. _

_Hermione, Megara, and Michael all crouched down beside Megara's bed. Darkness surrounded them again. No lights were illuminated anymore. Though the gardens were too quiet… there wasn't any sound of a struggle… yet Hermione knew this was just a false sense of security._

_An hour passed, and they still were crouching beside Megara's bed. Hermione wiped sweat from her forehead, clutching her wand with a sweaty hand. She gripped it tightly again and strained her ears for any sound._

"_Stay down no matter what happens, okay?" she muttered to the twins. They nodded. Michael voiced something aloud._

"_Is daddy okay?"_

_Hermione looked into his hazel eyes, which showed worry, and sighed, feeling it was mirrored in her eyes, too._

"_I hope he is…" she whispered. She peeked over the sheets and found that the door stood ajar. How stupid can she get?_

_She made to close the door when a toy squeaked. _

_She whirled around and directed the first spell that came to mind. It hit something invisible, and a steady wheeze was heard, eerily disembodied._

"_Show yourself, Greengrass," she said confidently. Moments later, the blonde appeared, crouching in laughter, clutching her stomach. Hermione knew it was wrong to attack now, but she knew Harry hesitated on a situation like this against Draco in second year. It was better that she attacked._

"Expelliarmus!" _she cried, pointing at the wand beside Astoria. It flew to her hand, and she chucked it aside, frowning. She bound the wheezing blonde to the ground and interrogated._

"_What did you do to him?" she spoke dangerously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Megara shiver and hug her twin more closely as they watched. _

"_Stupid," the blonde replied, "I didn't – do… anything to him… Haha… Get me out of this!" she shouted, struggling to break free._

"_You won't be able to, Greengrass," Hermione stated coldly, standing up and looking down on her. Astoria stopped struggling instantly, then slowly tilted her head up to look at Hermione, grinning wickedly._

"_You think so, Granger?" she muttered softly, using her maiden name and ignoring her new surname. She leapt on Michael's bed and pointed her wand at Hermione, who dodged the spell. They dueled like when Molly Weasley did against Bellatrix Lestrange, both snarling, both twirling and dodging, both firing to kill. The floor was shaking so much; the twins thought elephants were trampling on the house._

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" _Astoria cried out, but the wand wasn't pointing at Hermione; instead, it was directed towards Michael. _

"_Nooooooooo!" Hermione screamed, and, transfiguring a ragdoll to a protective statue, it caught the spell and shattered, mixing marble rubble with the shards from the mirror. Hermione flung herself to the twins, protecting them, making the stupidest thing she would've done in a battle at the same time._

"_That wasn't fun, Granger," Astoria stated, crouching down, picking up her wand and eyeing it wistfully. "You made it too easy for it to be called a fight. And I even thought you were better than this to be included in the Golden Trio!" she snorted, laughing._

"_Let's see… Ah, yes. Granger, give me your children for exchange of your precious Draco. I promise I won't hurt them," Astoria said, grinning what she thought was an innocent smile. Hermione looked over her shoulder where the shattered mirror faced them, and she saw Astoria cross her fingers behind her back._

_Hermione panicked. Astoria sensed this and huffed._

"_Oh come on," she said, yanking Megara's arm from Hermione's grasp. The girl squealed and struggled for her mother as the blonde raised her wand…_

* * *

Ginny was silent as Hermione recounted her story until the part where her dream bolted her awake. She had her hands covering her mouth, and her tears fell fast.

"Oh, Hermione…" she said, hugging her best friend for comfort. Hermione hugged her back, clutching her as she sobbed on her shoulder, wondering what on earth she could do to save Draco. She felt so helpless and it dawned to her that maybe... just maybe... she was... a failure?

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ I don't know what I was thinking, I just thought about it... once again, in the shower. :DDD Hahaha. _

_And to those who didn't understand the flashback, try reading it again, then after 'wand', continue it on the first part. Then it'll click. :3_

_Reviewww, pleaseeee!_


	2. Swearwords

**A/N: **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or other characters. It goes to JK Rowling. The only thing that's mine is the plot. :)

* * *

"Hermione, relax and _breathe…"_

Hermione inhaled and exhaled deeply. The pressure on her chest started to ease slightly. She did it again. And again. And again until she couldn't feel the sharp stab on her chest anymore.

Harry smiled warily, pushing to her the cup of hot chocolate. "Drink it; Remus told me to drink or eat chocolate whenever I'm stressed."

Hermione nodded, reached over the kitchen table and sipped on the mug, feeling the contents warming her extremities. "Thanks, Harry."

"No problem, Hermione. You've had a rough ordeal last night; it's only second nature for us Potters and Weasleys to help you."

She just nodded, looking at her best friend who had just arrived from working in the office all night. Harry still had the same messy black hair that grew all over the place. His eyes were still as bright as emeralds, and the glass assisting them were new and much stronger than the ones he wore when he was eleven. But age interfered with looks. As Harry yawned, she could see small bags under his eyes, and Harry didn't have that usual glimmer in his eye whenever he planned on doing something reckless and worthy of the Marauders.

Right now, he was the Head Auror in the Auror office, and him having survived the Killing Curse and the most evil wizard on the planet a couple of times, there was no questioning how. He scratched his chin warily and summoned a cup of hot chocolate from the counter for himself.

Hermione sipped on her mug slowly, biding her time. She didn't want to tell them what happened all over again. It felt as if she had gone back in time when she told Ginny; she feared that, if Harry asked, she would be trapped forever in her own memories.

"You don't have to tell me, Hermione," he reassured, as though reading her mind. Hermione looked up at him and saw that he was smiling, "Ginny already told me."

Gratitude gushed out of Hermione. When Ginny gets home after taking the kids to the nearby park, she would promise she would go shopping with her for a whole day.

Hermione looked down on her empty mug, a circle of dark brown outlining the edge. She sighed, put it down on the table, and stood up.

"Harry, I'm just going to get my things from the manor. Do you mind if me and the twins stay here for a while?" she asked, not really wanting to still live in the now empty house. Narcissa moved to their other house somewhere in Rome; she liked living there, and now she has a chance to do so because her son and his wife moved in.

Harry led her upstairs and showed her suitcases. "Already got them from last night, Hermione; I got all your clothes, and the twins', because I didn't know which ones," he said, blushing and scratching his head, "And the house is quarantined so that the… evidence… would still be there. Lastly, of course you're welcome, Hermione. We'd insist on letting you stay whether you liked it or not, anyways."

Hermione smiled. Harry hasn't changed after all. If anything, he improved… a lot. She hugged him tight and said, "Thanks, Harry."

He patted her on the back as he returned the hug in a big-brotherly fashion. When they broke apart, he grinned down at her just as the steady creak of the front door opened and the steady pitter patter of feet spilled on the floor. "There's Ginny," he said, and he dashed downstairs, engulfing Albus and James into a tight hug.

Hermione felt strangely… alone. Harry was there for his children. Draco wasn't, but it wasn't his fault.

She sighed and collapsed into the Potters' sofa, rubbing her temples in a circular motion. There was a sudden tugging at her wavy locks and she opened her eyes.

"Mom," Megara acknowledged, "Can we get ice cream later? Aunt Ginny said we were going to Diagon Alley…"

"Yeah, mom," Michael chimed in, grinning; "Uncle Harry even promised me he would take me to Quality Quidditch Supplies for a tour. I didn't even know he was – "

"– the youngest Seeker in Gryffindor for more than a century, got picked for the team on his first year, and got a Firebolt, the legendary broomstick, for Christmas when he was in third year," Hermione completed, and her son nodded vigorously.

She heard Harry snort in the kitchen as he eavesdropped. She laughed. "Okay, okay; we can go get ice cream, and then we can all go to Quality Quidditch Supplies. I can't believe it's still standing for all these years…"

Her eyes misted for a moment as she relived the first time she went to Diagon Alley. At that time, Professor Dumbledore himself accompanied her. She felt as if her eyes were disconnected from her brain or somehow malfunctioning as she gazed at every magical item in awe; she couldn't even _imagine _these types of things, even when she was living life as a Muggle! But there it is, being bought by older wizards and witches with gold Galleons, Silver Sickles, and Bronze Knuts.

"MOM!"

She snapped out of her reverie as the sharp and shrill voice of Megara pierced her ear. "What is it?"

"Aunt Ginny's been calling you for breakfast for _fourteen times!_" she replied, holding out her ten fingers. Michael sided with her and held up an additional four fingers.

She laughed.

"Alright, I'm going," she muttered to them, ruffling their hair and walking slowly to the kitchen.

"Harry, I never knew you can cook," she remarked as she sat down, looking at Harry as he flipped the bacon like a mastered chef on the oily frying pan. He grinned.

"Well, I did have a lot of practice at the Dursleys," he said, going back to his bacon.

"Mmm," Ginny said, her head poking out from the living room. "What have we got today, professional bacon cooker?"

"Bacon," he replied playfully. Ginny giggled.

"Oh… where're they living now, anyways?" Hermione said. It was moments later that Harry realized she was asking about the Dursleys.

"They still live in Majorca, but Dudley moved out, said he needed some _space_," he answered, snorting at the last word. Hermione smirked, remembering the first time she _saw _Harry's cousin: big, round, chubby, pig-like, and blonde. She didn't know why, but she was strongly reminded of him whenever she would pass Millicent Bulstrode in the halls of Hogwarts.

Breakfast in the Potters' house was a joyous affair. Hermione laughed as ten-year-old James would tease his nine-year-old brother Albus about chewing his food on the left side of his mouth because of the painful – and very noisy – teeth removal on the previous week. He pushed his brother on the verge of tears until he received a glare from both his parents; afterwards, he was as quiet as a mime.

After Ginny charmed the plates so they would clean themselves, they went into the living room and gasped. A beautiful black grand piano stood at the very center of the room. The Potter kids look sheepish; the Malfoy twins were ecstatic.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Ginny asked. No one answered her.

"Mom, can we please, _please, _play?" Megara said, looking at her with pleading grey-blue eyes. Michael nodded, pouting, his hazel eyes twinkling. Hermione laughed.

"Okay, go. Show us what your father taught you," she said as the twins seated themselves on the large seat.

"Or ingrained in them," Harry added. Hermione grinned a little sadly, wishing Draco was here.

Megara stood up, to everyone's amazement. Isn't she going to play the piano? Or was it another feat? Michael started playing with mastery, and by only judging his arms and skilled fingers, he would be mistaken as Ludwig Van Beethoven. The first note was enchanting, the next ones were amazing; the more to come was mesmerizing. Megara drew in a breath of air and sang:

_Waking up, I see that everything is okay…_

Hermione's ears perked up. How the hell did the kids know a Muggle song? Especially an 'Avril Lavigne' song? She went back to times she would listen to it in the music room while Draco wasn't there. She sang the words like Megara did: with a sweet, enchanting voice. And then she remembered.

She didn't put on _Muffliato _back then.

Hermione slapped her forehead in realization, her eyes wide, and her mouth half-open. Harry looked at her curiously.

"Fly, Hermione?" he said, frowning. Hermione shook her head.

Megara still sang from the heart; Michael softly pressed the black and white keys like a professional. Harry had an arm around Ginny's shoulders, both swaying in the tune of the music. Hermione felt teary-eyed. Megara looked into her eyes, and Hermione got lost in the grey-blue orbs. They reminded her of Draco's stormy grey ones… What they thought was that Megara was special. Grey plus brown eyes never equaled to blue. It was a mystery where she got that.

The twins ended their song, and the parents, along with James and Albus, clapped. Hermione hugged the twins as Michael jumped from the piano seat and ran to their mother.

"Please be okay, mommy," Megara whispered into her ear. "Daddy's going to be okay. He's tough. As long as we're okay, he won't give in to anyone, even to that bi… bit…"

Hermione was touched, but then got enraged as her little girl was trying to remember a bloody _swearword. _She was surprised that Megara continued, "…whatever! I don't know how to do it."

"Well, who told you about that word?" she asked gently, controlling her temper.

"We overheard Uncle Harry use that when we mentioned that the attacker had blonde hair," Michael chimed, "we didn't know what it meant, so we asked. And he said it was a term used for really, really bad people," he turned to Harry, "Right, Uncle?"

Harry shrank as Hermione glared at him. He blushed slightly, and Ginny excused themselves to the visitors and went upstairs. Hermione sighed. Moments later, she heard the familiar whoosh when the _Muffliato _was being cast; but the spell wasn't enough to cover the shouts from above. It nearly raised the roof; it rattled the floor (for Hermione and the twins, the ceiling), and the windows shook.

_Man, what a family_, she thought, smirking.

* * *

"God, Ginny! Your shouts from upstairs were legendary!"

How so?" the redhead replied curtly. She still hadn't forgiven Harry even though he now sported a black eye and a bruise at the corner of his lip.

"It shook the whole house… if I were a Richter scale, I'd bet on… 6.4 magnitude?" she replied, estimating if she was correct. Ginny merely smiled.

"That's because I used _Sonorus."_

"So that's why…"

"Wanna try?"

"Nah," Hermione replied, "Harry's gone enough already…"

"He wished he's never been born…"

"No, he doesn't," Harry retorted, leaning against the doorway leading to the kitchen, "because if he does, Voldemort would still be here."

Ginny looked at him with an impassive face, blank and unreadable. Harry knelt down on his knees and presented flowers and chocolates. "Please forgive me, Gin."

Hermione looked at her best friend, shocked that she was acting as cold as ice on a warm, sunny day. She looked down on the kneeling man, her eyes focused on his pleading and bruised face, all gifts forgotten. Hermione looked at Ginny again, affronted; normally, Ginny would jump up and down, squealing because of it being so romantic… and that's with just any other man. But this was _Harry Potter, _for Merlin's sake!

Ginny walked towards him, taking out her hand slowly from her back. Harry winced, waiting for the collision of knuckles on a face.

Instead, he felt something oozing and slimy from his bruised eye and lip.

"Bloody hell!" he squeaked, touching the oozing part. Man, if this was blood… Though he never did feel her fist… Maybe the bruise made him numb… Yes, that was it… He looked down on his hand and stared.

"Is it me, or does my blood look yellow?" he inquired. Ginny and Hermione laughed.

"Silly!" Ginny said, showing him a container, "It's the ointment to remove the black eye!"

Harry's eyed widened in realization as Hermione doubled in laughter. He put the flowers and chocolates on the counter and swept Ginny off her feet with a passionate kiss.

Feeling like she was disturbing on something intimate, she quietly crept out the kitchen and shut the door firmly but quietly.

* * *

"Harry, not now," Ginny whispered in between kisses, "Hermione's here remember?"

Harry froze. Ginny smirked. "I suppose you forgot."

They jumped apart and faced the floor, blushing and looking sheepish.

"Sorry you had to witness that, Hermione," Ginny said. She received no answer. Was Hermione stifling her laugh? She chanced a glance upward.

No one.

"Hermione, where are you!" the couple shouted. Hermione came in from the living room, flustered.

"I was in the living room, guys!" she answered lightly. Then she took notice of Ginny's dark expression. "Uhh… Gin? You alright?"

"BLOODY HELL I'M NOT!" Ginny roared, chasing Hermione around the house. Harry laughed.

* * *

Megara watched as her mother escaped Aunt Ginny's Chaser reflexes. The brunette laughed heartily, and the redhead snarled.

"Michael, what's bloody hell?" she asked. Michael immediately stopped playing the piano and contemplated.

"Ask Uncle Harry. I think he used it just a minute ago." Michael replied with his brows still furrowed. They walked to Harry, who was chuckling to himself inside the kitchen, looking at the ceiling where the two women were.

The Potter kids were behind the Malfoys. Megara heard Albus questioning James about whether their father was crazy or not. She looked at his twin, whose face was unreadable except the ghost of a smirk still playing on his thin lips.

"Uncle Harry," Michael said in his most innocent tone. Harry looked down immediately, an eyebrow raised. "What is bloody hell?"

All of them hid their snickers as Harry blanched. It was so cool when they saw the blushing face turn suddenly white, the yellow ooze steadily dripping across his temple and off his chin.

* * *

**A/N: _Nice going, Harry. :DD_**

_Hehe. I think I'm uploading too fast. I'm going to write some more chapters for this. Meanwhile, what do you think? :D_

_Reviews for my very own homemade refridgerated cake? It's like mango float, only instead of mangoes, it's marshmallows!~ ;'_


	3. Chained with Nightmares

"Get these filthy chains off of me!"

Draco rattled the heavy chains snaking on his arm loudly. Astoria snarled.

"Don't you dare escape. You're getting married to me," she said. She didn't really like to see her most beloved in chains… in the dungeons… of her own home…

Draco snorted. "Yeah, right. I'd rather _die _than be married to you," he sneered, and spat on Astoria's shoes.

She lost it.

"I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" she roared to Draco, not realizing that she was acting like Harry's Aunt Petunia, who just sneezed at that moment while eating dinner. Astoria stormed out of the dungeons and slammed the door.

Draco slumped and slid down the damp, dark wall of his new 'room'. He sighed as he felt the thick chains coiling around his arms. Living life as a prisoner seemed to make him guilty by the second. He remembered when he imprisoned the Golden Trio, Mr. Ollivander, Dean Thomas, and Griphook in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. He shivered.

CRACK!

Draco looked in front of him where there was a plate of food piled high for him. His stomach grumbled as the smell of chicken wafted through his nose. His mouth began to water. He quickly went to the food when he was prevented by a small creature.

"Master should not eat it!" said a squeaky voice. Draco looked down and saw Betty, the youngest house-elf in the Malfoy Manor. She was wearing what he remembered what Winky was wearing: a stained skirt, a blouse with singes, and a hat with two holes for her bat-like ears.

Draco scoffed and looked down at the creature. "And why not?"

Betty squeaked and scrunched up her face as though swallowing three big mouthfuls of bitter medicine. "Sir, Betty is not supposed to tell you this…" she began, and then she gnawed at her clenched fist. Draco remembered Dobby, his former house elf, doing that when he ordered where his father was.

"Betty, I order you to tell me what the problem is; also, I would like you to keep this a secret between us and lie to Madame Astoria," he said quietly. "Understood?"

The elf rocked forward and backward and nodded. She then inhaled deeply and said, "Betty saw mistress put something purple in your food and drink, sir," she stated silently.

Draco frowned. A love potion… why does she _always _go for a bloody _love potion? _He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about it.

"Betty," he said finally, "would you please bring me some freshly-cooked food, please? And don't tell anyone where you are going," he warned. Betty nodded and disappeared with a loud CRACK!

Draco went back to his wall, recounting the events on that night.

"_You don't have anything against Hermione," he said, "and Muggles. You've been venturing out into the Muggle world, have you?"_

"_And how did you say that?" she spat._

"_Because of that wig of yours. Truly whimsical… even the shape is unrealistic!"_

_She snapped. "This isn't a wig, you fool! This is my hair!" She glanced up to see Hermione's forehead quickly withdrawing, bared her teeth, and directed her next spell, a Disarming one, through the window._

DAMN, _he thought as he heard the steady crack of the mirror. He turned around to look at the red light illuminate the room._

"SILENCIO!" _Greengrass whispered. Draco was unable to speak. He cried 'Muffliato' inside his head and punched Greengrass as hard as he could._

"_You _dare _punch a girl?" she cried, though the stillness of the night wavered. Their wands lay forgotten a little far from both of them._

_Draco signaled with his hands, clearly stating, "I dare punch bitches."_

_Greengrass snarled. She threw herself over Draco and landed on top of him. Draco pushed her away, a disgusted expression on his face. Greengrass clung onto his collar tightly, nearly choking him. Snarling, he grasped his wand form above him and shot her away from his body, giving him time to stand up and step on the opponent's wand._

"_Draco…" a voice said. _

"_Shit," he said frantically, looking for the source of the voice. It was Hermione's!_

_He circled the clearing, looking at the sky, at the manor, at the bushes, not really caring if Astoria was reaching for her wand._

"_I'm here," said the same voice. Draco turned to see Greengrass drop her ventriloquist impersonation of Hermione. His eyes widened as he was hit with an invisible force and was knocked out._

Draco sighed as he closed his eyes. He imagined that Hermione and the twins were safe and sound. Hermione was laughing and sitting by the bench. Megara was drawing on the ground and Michael was flying a kite. He smiled to himself a little sadly, missing them so badly. His smile turned into a slight frown when it dawned upon him that he wasn't there.

"AAAAAAAAHH! WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT!"

Astoria's voice pierced Draco's imagination bubble, as he had dubbed it, and the vision changed. Draco looked around and gasped.

He saw the sky was blood red. Megara was lying on the bench, her back curved, her blue-grey eyes wide open and unseeing. In her left hand she held a blue crayon, and in the other hand held a drawing of Draco and the words 'I miss you, Daddy' below it. Her mouth was half-opened as though by surprise and there was a thin trickle of blood running from her beautiful blonde hair.

Michael was lying on his stomach with his legs oddly bent. His face was pale and unresponsive. His mouth, too, was half-opened, and his face was tilted to the side so Draco could see his appearance. He looked unscathed except for the dirt and his oddly bent bones. Draco found his arms interesting, however. They bore unhealed wounds and scars and marks. His right arm was extended over his head, barely touching another's hand.

Draco's eyes roved from the hand to the face of the person, and a tear instantly fell.

Hermione was lying on her back on the grassy ground, her eyes expressing sorrow in a lifeless form. Her cheeks were stained with tears and blood was flowing from under her hair, down her back, and dripped off her shoe. Her arms were positioned as though she fell from a high place. Her feet were oddly bent like Michael's, but her left thigh was sandwiched by the right one with her body straight.

There was a cackle overhead and Draco looked up to see Astoria Greengrass on the roof of Malfoy Manor, clapping her hands as though she just finished a rather easy job. Draco screamed and the maniac just laughed. Draco ran to his family and felt their pulses. Nothing. He cried onto Hermione's chest; he sobbed into the twins' hair. He banged the ground in anger as he felt his heart ripped apart. Then after that he felt as though they were slipping away, but the pain and sorrow was still there.

* * *

Draco gasped as he escaped from his nightmare. His cheeks were wet and he remembered every detail of what happened. He hastily wiped the teartracks away and sniffed noisily.

Great. He had a stuffed nose.

Brilliant.

The door opened slowly and light flooded into the dark room. Draco squinted and shielded his eyes with his hand while the chains swung and clanked with each other noisily. After his eyes accustomed to the light better, she could see a figure looking at him worriedly.

Draco groaned and the person shushed him. "I'm not supposed to be here," the person said, "but I'm here to help. Although it might take a while, I will help you."

Draco's ears perked up. This is just what he needed: a chance for freedom. He didn't care if it took months or years to be a success. The idea of seeing his family alive and well could make him live patiently for a hundred years working on his escape plan.

"Thank you," he said as he blacked out from hunger, the face of the person who wanted to help him swirling around his head.

* * *

**A/N: **_Thanks to Dakuenjeru for reviewing! I really love your reviews! :DD_

_Review? :DDDDDD_


	4. Harry Potter's Embarrassing Mistake

**A/N: **_Special thanks to my good friend, **Sharlene Sia**, who helped me pick out Megara's second name! Haha. I'm no good with names. And Sharlene is my classmate; the first one to ever read my fanfic. :)) _

_Thanks again, Sharlene! ((See, I told you I would have a 'special mention' of you here. Hehehe...))_

_Back to the story! :D_

* * *

"Well, if it isn't Hermione! What brings you back to Hogwarts?"

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and gaped at the man in front of her. The man had an emerald-green cloak on and a smudge of earth on his nose, not unlike Luna Lovegood looked when she went from her Herbology class. Hermione eyed the man up and down. Then she gasped in realization.

"Neville!" she squealed, and the man nodded. They exchanged a brief, friendly hug. They haven't seen each other in years.

"So… Herbology teacher, huh? How are you?" she said as they broke apart, looking past his shoulder to see the classroom he just vacated.

Greenhouse three.

She blanched.

"Neville, are you sure you can tackle those?" she stuttered. Neville turned to see what she was looking at and smiled.

"Relax, Hermione; we tackled those when we were at Hogwarts, remember?" he said, patting her on the shoulder, then sighed. "I'm alright, thanks for asking. But sometimes, the tykes get a little too rowdy. It makes me wonder if we were this close to pushing Professor Sprout on the verge of tears and if this is what Professor Sprout felt ages ago…"

Neville trailed on into nothingness. After a few minutes, he snapped back into reality, grinning widely like Gilderoy Lockhart. "So… what brings you back to Hogwarts?" he asked again.

Hermione gestured to the equipment in her arms: rope fibers, a handkerchief, wood splinters, and articles of clothing from Draco and Astoria that were left behind (It was just a cloak and a separate glove with a hole in one finger).

Neville paled at the first two he noticed: rope fibers and a handkerchief.

"So… another kidnapping case, I suppose?" he said, trying to act calmly. Hermione stared.

"How do you know about that? I told everyone, even the media, to be quiet… Oh, when I get my hands on the Ministry – "

"They didn't tell," he said hesitantly, stopping her from raving, "It's because – I just remembered that when you were kidnapped by Ron," he said the name and swallowed, "the only remnants left were rope fibers, a white handkerchief, and Harry's misplaced Firebolt."

"No one told me that…"

"Kingsley told us to be quiet."

Anger boiled inside her body: there goes the Ministry _again!_

Neville, scenting danger, dragged the topic off the table. "Come on, I'll show you to the headmistress…"

"Is McGonagall still here?" Hermione asked, looking at the familiar corridors in awe. Some portraits still hanging so many years ago grinned and waved merrily at her.

"Yeah. She's one hell of a headmistress," Neville said, smiling. He led her to a narrow corridor, taking her to McGonagall's office, which was near the teacher's staffroom in case of any emergency.

Hermione stopped all of a sudden as a flashback began.

"_Mr. Malfoy! Mr. Lestrange! We're here to help!" Theodore Nott's voice shouted from another corridor. Astoria screamed affirmative and Ron gave a shaky 'yes!'_

"_Nott, Greengrass, and… Weasley?" the aged men both asked incredulously. "Well, well, purebloods are fit to be under the Dark Lord's wing after all… except for someone, of course," said Lucius, turning his head slowly to face Draco, who bared his teeth._

_At the same time, all of them fired the jinxes. Harry and Blaise were against Lucius while Luna and Neville took care of Rodolphus. Pansy was battling Astoria, Ginny was in a heated match with her brother, Ron, and Hermione and Draco were sided against Nott. All were evenly matched, and in ten minutes, the clean corridor now resembled a battlefield of World War II._

"Hermione!" someone was yelling, "Hermione, wake up!"

"Huh?" she groaned, opening her heavy eyelids.

"Oh, thank goodness she's alright…" said a vaguely familiar voice. Hermione's mind was still disoriented, so she couldn't place it at first. After several minutes she sat up, and put the pieces together.

"Oh, Professor McGonagall!" she squeaked, running towards the severe-looking woman smiling at her fondly. The woman still had her hair in a bun, she still had thin lips, and she still had that gash on her cheek she never intended to heal as a living reminder of the war – but that doesn't matter now. If anything, Hermione was happy she didn't change. She didn't want to ask her who the hell was she and slap some sense to her before questioning again.

"My dear," she said, smiling the first real smile Hermione witnessed in her first year. "Sit down, sit down! And place those on the table!" she barked, and Hermione hurriedly dropped the evidence down on another table, quickly withdrew her arms, and put them on her lap, her back tense, her face sweaty.

The headmistress laughed. "You're still as obedient as ever, Miss Granger - or, as we say, Mrs. Malfoy," she remarked, patting her head in a good-natured way, "and that's what I like about you."

Hermione blushed and murmured a soft 'thank you'.

"Now, what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you here?" the professor asked, seating herself behind her desk and clasping her hands below her chin like Dumbledore used to. Hermione inhaled and murmured

"Draco has been kidnapped by Astoria Greengrass."

Neville, who was happily munching on a cheese muffin, gasped in horror. The muffin left his limp fingers and fell on the carpet, showering it with crumbs. McGonagall growled, made the crumbs vanish, and turned her head back to Hermione, giving her a worried look.

"Tell us all about it, dear," she said faintly, encouraging Hermione as Neville seated himself beside the headmistress.

* * *

Hermione sighed, thankful that the Hogwarts staff knew about her predicament. She looked at the familiar castle one last time from Hogsmeade and drove herself to suffocating darkness, her mind focused on the road in front of Harry's house.

Heated voices greeted Hermione's ears as her feet slammed into pavement. She looked up at the Potters' house and could barely keep up with what the couple was arguing about.

"-CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE FAMOUS HARRY POTTER COULD MAKE SUCH A MISTAKE!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE _YOU _TRY IT!"

"HOW CAN I? YOU'LL NEVER BE IN THIS CONDITION!"

Hermione rushed back to the house and found Harry and Ginny shouting, each at the opposite side of the living room. Harry was red in the face and Ginny was sweating like Neville did in first year. Albus, James, Michael, and Megara stood in the kitchen, their hair sticking out behind the counter.

Hermione shouted for quiet and the couple looked daggers at her, panting.

"What the bloody hell are you arguing about?" she roared. The two winced.

"We…" Ginny muttered, the blush creeping on her neck.

"Well?" she said impatiently, crossing her arms.

"I BOUGHT THE WRONG KIND OF MATERNITY MILK!" Harry bellowed at large as an explanation.

Hermione stared in shock, her jaw dropping to the floor.

Ginny hid her face in her hair in embarrassment.

The kids snickered behind the counter.

"That's it?" Hermione whispered dangerously. The couple looked at each other nervously. "That's what made you SHOUT YOUR BLOODY HEADS OFF!"

The two shrank under her gaze. The four children rushed out to their parents.

"It's okay mom…" Michael cooed as he brushed Hermione's hair softly.

James and Albus dashed to Harry and Ginny. They tried hard to hide their giggles when they saw the strictest parents all blushing and sheepish. It was a really good twist.

Albus stepped onto a squeaky toy. The twins jumped.

"Bloody hell!" they chorused, clutching their chests. They laughed, relieved, until they saw Hermione's glare.

"MICHELANGELO SCORPIUS MALFOY! MEGARA ELOISE MALFOY! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!" she roared, losing her temper again.

"Run!" they said again, and they dashed upstairs as their mother chased after them, leaving the Potters in the living room, sighing and shaking their heads, or else laughing as they heard Hermione bang on the closed bathroom where the twins were hiding.

* * *

**A/N: **_Nuthin much. :/ Haha.  
Well, review, please! Oh, and did you now guess who that person was that will help Draco free himself?_

_Guess. Guess. C'mon, guess._

_..._

_Guess? :DDD_


	5. WASUY

**A/N: **_Guys, I'm running out of IDEAS here! DDD: _

_If you don't give me some ideas, I won't continue this fic! _

_..._

_(empty threat)_

_*facepalm*_

_oh well. just special mentions again:_

_Congrats to Shanisha Borja for making it to the honors! :DDDD_

_To Sharlene Sia, too! She was so happy a while ago! :DDDDD_

_And to me! for being Top 7! and not in the honors! (coz in every weekly quiz the honors have additional questions)_

* * *

Days passed by in a flurry as Hermione and the twins adjusted to the Potters' house. The once peace and quiet of the Manor in which they were accustomed were changed to a normal racket every day.

CRACK!

Hermione jumped to a sitting position on her bed, rubbing her eyes warily. She yawned hugely and stretched her arms upward. Voices were heard downstairs. Ginny was saying about 'something wrong'. Harry was saying 'Hermione… see this'.

She perked up as someone took the stairs two at a time and knocked on her bedroom door. The twins, who were sleeping on two beds beside hers, jumped awake and looked warily at the door.

"Hermione, open up," Harry said, knocking again, "We've got news."

Hermione had her eyebrows raised. She dashed to the door and suddenly opened it, making Harry topple inside. He was holding some papers and his coat was hanging off of one shoulder. He was pale and nervous-looking, but there was a little bit of excitement in his tone.

He got up, looked at Hermione, and smiled. "We know where Draco is. You were right; he is in Greengrass Manor."

Feelings burst in her chest as he said this. Fear and anxiety ran through her body. Relief was in second place. Excitement swelled inside her. Anger bubbled, too.

"You alright, Hermione?" Ginny asked, appearing behind Harry. "You went from pale to normal then to red in a matter of seconds…"

Hermione blushed. "Yeah, I'm alright. Well, let's go to the Ministry, then…" she said.

"Mom, can we come, too?" Megara asked from her bed. Michael nodded. Hermione smiled.

"Sure you can," she replied. The twins squealed and hurriedly dashed around the room, pulling clothes out of suitcases and cabinets while donning hats and shoes. The adults laughed as they, too, went to busy themselves preparing for the ministry.

* * *

"…as you can see here," an old man pointed to a specific part of a document, "someone sent Betty the house elf here to the ministry and explain where Mr. Malfoy was. The house elf, however, had strict orders not to tell anyone the information except you." The old man gestured to Hermione.

She nodded. Harry pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to stay awake. Ginny was outside taking care of the children.

"Thank you, sir," she said. Harry nodded. "Is Betty still here?"

"Yes," the man replied, "she was waiting for you, but she fell asleep."

Hermione's eyes brimmed with tears. She was about to ask where she slept when her question was answered. "She is sleeping in the infirmary, as we insisted. Shall we go there now?"

The two nodded and stood up. They went outside, the old man taking the lead. Ginny followed them, and the children went quiet. They passed through doors, offices, lifts, and halls and finally reached the infirmary.

The elder man knocked on the door and out came a nurse wearing white robes and what Hermione and Harry thought was a flimsy duplicate of a Muggle nurse cap. The nurse was holding a clipboard to her chest and pieces of parchment shaped like paper airplanes were nudging her arms, indicating that they be first to be read.

The nurse looked at Hermione, Harry, Ginny and the kids, and then nodded. She went back in and the party followed her to a neat bed where a rather familiar form sat, twisting its long fingers, its bat-like shaped ears flapping.

Harry looked away from Betty, his eyes brimming with sudden tears at the memory of Dobby. Ginny, who was ever-grateful to the house elf, took Harry's hand and squeezed it. Hermione looked at Betty's face with concern. The house elf stared back nervously at the brown orbs.

"Are you Miss Hermione Granger?" Betty said, slipping.

"No," Hermione said calmly, thinking her maiden name was shouted all throughout the Greengrass Manor, "I'm Hermione Granger-_Malfoy."_

"Mistress!" the house elf exclaimed, standing up on the bed and curtsying, spreading her stained skirt wide as she crossed her legs and bowed her head. Harry had a flashback about Dobby bowing to him the first time he met the house elf.

"Whoa," Hermione replied, gently relieving Betty from her position. "We are all equal, right? No more bowing."

"Master Draco is right; you _are _kind to house elves…"

Betty produced a dirty strip of clothing not unlike Kreacher's loincloth and blew her nose into it. Hermione's ears perked up.

"Could you please tell us where Master Draco is?" Hermione asked. Betty looked at the crowd behind her warily, and Hermione added, "They can hear it, too. Harry is the one in charge of looking for him and Ginny's taking care of our children."

Betty nodded, and then launched into story:

"Mistress Astoria came home late one night, dragging a body behind. Us house elves thought she committed murder again. Her mother throws a tantrum whenever Mistress would kill. We was ordered to Mistress Astoria and she told us to take the man, who was now awake and screaming, to the dungeons. Betty is not knowing why Master Draco was to be ordered to the dungeons, but Betty did it anyway.

Master Draco was very hungry, very tired, and very sad when Betty arrived. Betty just saw Mistress put in something purple in Master's food and drink. Master was visited by Mistress and he… _blacked out_… out of hunger. The mistress then sent Betty here to talk to Miss Granger-Malfoy to help Master Draco out."

"Wait," Hermione interrupted. She was now sitting by Betty's bed, "Who is this _Mistress _that visited Master before he blacked out?"

"Misterstephanie," Betty whimpered, scared of Hermione's look.

"Mister Stephanie?"

Betty shook her head. "Mistress Daphne."

* * *

"Hermione, I'm sorry; we can't go into Greengrass Manor – "

"But why not, Harry? _Why not?"_

"Hermione, I know what you're thinking. But Daphne Greengrass is on our side, now. She's battling with her own sister, her own flesh and blood in her ancestor's house. If she was suddenly about to change sides in front of her bloodline, her ancestry's legacy might turn upon her and upon us as well."

Hermione thought about it. It seemed to ring a bell about a disinherited young person. Suddenly, a face popped up in her mind: a shaggy-haired, unshaved, and black-haired someone.

"Sirius," she muttered. Harry nodded.

"Just trust her, for once," Harry said, patting Hermione lightly on the shoulder. "Draco's going to be okay. She'll send us an owl when she needs help or if it's the right time to invade. "

Hermione nodded. "It feels like breaking into Gringotts all over again…"

"…and Hogsmeade… and Hogwarts…" Harry continued. The Golden Duo laughed.

* * *

"Drakkie! I have a surprise for you!"

Draco glared at the skimpy and way-too-revealing-it's-scary outfit that Astoria was wearing to turn him on. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

Draco's upper lip twitched toward his nose in a grimace and Astoria rolled on the grimy dungeon floor.

"Greengrass don't even try. Nothing could turn me on," Draco snapped. Astoria lay on her stomach, her chin resting on her hand as she looked smugly at him.

"You've had twins, right?" she replied innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"Oh, sorry; I should rephrase. Nothing YOU try could turn me on."

Astoria scowled at the emphasis on 'you'.

"How dare you!" she screamed, but Draco cut her off.

"Oh, please, can't you think of _anything _instead of 'how dare you'? Seriously! You've been using that on us for 12 years, now!"

Greengrass growled and threw the wedding veil on his stomach. Once again, Draco cut across him.

"Then you come to the point and say 'THE ENGAGEMENT'S OFF!' Man, history repeats itself. And you know what I think of you? _WASUY." _

That was odd.

"I beg your pardon?" Astoria asked.

"_WASUY. Repetitive in Bicol_."

"Bookworm."

"Slut."

"Book-lover."

"Sex-driven."

"How _dare – "_

"I _told _you to stop the 'how dare you' phrase! Man, what are you, a broken record?"

Astoria huffed and went outside, doing as much as she can to sway her flat butt side to side, trying to make it more appealing. Draco was repulsed.

"How dare you." Astoria whispered finally to herself before closing the door. Draco, however, heard.

"WASUUUY!" he roared.

* * *

**A/N: WASUY is a Bicolano term for something that is constantly repeated or used again and again.**

Yes, I am a Bicolano. :)))

And no, I am NOT a wasuy.

hahaha. review? :D

What? you get trivia... right? trivias in exchange for reviews! c'mon! :DDDD


	6. The New Recruit

**A/N: **_Wew. I got hooked on writing a poem on my notes on Facebook I forgot to continue the last part of this._

_And I haven't seen Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part 1 even though 3 over four cinemas in my city are showing. hahah._

_it's because I actually like the books more than the movie. :))) Sorry if I'm a bookworm. :PPP_

* * *

Hermione sighed as she stirred some mushroom soup for the Potters. Life was getting boring with Draco gone for a long time, and all of them wanted to go for Diagon Alley for a change. The catch? Hermione had a dreadful cold. The kids wanted to be with their mother. They decided to be left behind. Harry said that two kids can't protect her enough. Ginny stayed. Harry, James, and Albus went to Diagon Alley.

She sighed again as she caught the stream of soup into a large bowl. She had been practicing to cook soups and was getting rather into it. She smelled the warm and delicious aroma.

In the far distance, something rang.

"Ginny!" she called. "Megara! Michael! Soup's ready!"

She went to the dining table and ladled soup onto the four bowls as the twins came in. Ginny went into the kitchen. Her hands were soapy. Hermione stared.

"You've been doing the laundry in the Muggle way?" she said before sneezing.

"Yeah," Ginny gasped, panting, "It's hard work."

"Then why don't you try magic?"

Ginny's face brightened.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Hermione said, making the Malfoys' smirk.

"I can't believe I did!" she screamed.

Hermione laughed. "Before that, go wash your hands and have some soup."

"Yes, mom," Ginny muttered playfully.

"Mom," Michael called. Hermione turned toward him as Ginny washed her hands, "something came in the mail. It was addressed to you."

"An owl even rang the doorbell," Megara supported, picking up her spoon and filling it with soup. She tasted it and she grinned, "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Mushroom soup is my favorite."

Hermione grinned. "I'm glad you do, honey. Now, wait here and I'll go look at the mail."

She went outside and looked at the mail on the couch. Amidst rolls of parchment there were only two things that stuck out: an envelope to Harry for the Dursleys and a package with brown paper with a note saying _To Hermione._

Hermione picked up the package. Somehow, hatred rushed towards her and the urge to throw it away made her do so. It landed on the carpet and she saw something odd.

"It's… a videotape?"

Hermione turned around to see Ginny looking at her incredulously, then back at the package. The brown paper was torn off and a videotape was there, lying innocently.

"Well… let's have a look at it," Hermione said. She took one more look at the twins spooning more soup on their bowls and plopped the video into the player.

The scene was horrifying.

"Err… I'm going to take the kids to their rooms with the soup…" Ginny said hesitantly. Hermione had her eyebrows up, her jaw down, and her eyes glued to the TV screen.

In the scene, Draco was sitting on a bed with his arm around Astoria Greengrass.

"Hey, Hermione," the Draco in the television said. Hermione felt hurt. "I just wanted you to know that Astoria is really better than you. I don't know what I'd do without her. Sorry, but we're done. It's over. I don't' want to be with you anymore. I don't want to have an annoying stuck-up Mudblood know-it-all to be my wife. Malfoys deserve better. Malfoys deserve someone who is also in the Dark side. Malfoys deserve _purebloods."_

Astoria laughed menacingly. Hermione's eyes brimmed with tears as the TV went blue, indicating that the video was over.

_Annoying stuck-up Mudblood know-it-all…_

She heard those names called to her before from him. But they were enemies then. Now they were husband and wife. Draco had said that she was the most beautiful woman in the world at their wedding. It completed her world. But now…

Since when did the world turn into a chasm of infidelity?

She rushed to the bathroom and locked the door. She gasped and panted as she held onto the sink. She looked into the mirror. Her face was tear-streaked, her hair was messier than usual, and her mouth was forming itself into a permanent frown.

She couldn't help it. She went to the toilet and got sick.

"Hermione! Hermione, open the door!" Ginny's voice said from outside. Hermione wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and shakily opened the door. Ginny looked at her worriedly.

"Are you okay?" she said. Hermione shook her head.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones; his words would forever haunt me…" she muttered tonelessly. Ginny panicked.

"It's fake! Draco doesn't mean that! I looked at that video and it's fake, I tell you! Draco promised on that day that nothing could make him stop loving you! Wizard weddings are supposed to detect infidelity! When one is unfaithful, the two of them dies! Now, tell me, Hermione – if Draco really did cheat on you, why're you still alive and living?"

"What happened?" came Harry's voice from downstairs. The twins shouted, "They're upstairs!" and Harry bounded upwards, panting beside Ginny.

"What happened?" he asked again. No one answered him.

"I'm going to bed, Ginny; could you send some soup up for me?" Hermione said.

"The soup's already in your bedroom, Hermione."

"Thanks."

Hermione walked away, entered her room, and locked her door. She walked over to her bed, grabbed a spoon and a bowl, and started to mull things over while eating soup.

"Hermione, want some lunch and hot chocolate?" Harry said loudly from below. Hermione's ears perked up.

"_Accio," _she said, pointing her wand and focusing on the hot chocolate. When the mug was in her hands, she sipped it gratefully. An hour passed and it was all she did: eat soup, drink hot chocolate. And then when she'd run out she'd go downstairs and fill it up again.

Then something hit her.

* * *

"Hermione, are you sure about this plan?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"I'm sure. Astoria's not going to be pleased by this…" she said, smiling evilly.

Just then, an owl came in the window and landed on Harry's shoulder, hooting happily. It had a scarlet envelope on its leg.

"A… HOWLER?" Harry shouted.

The envelope exploded.

"HARRY! HERMIONE! GINNY!" screamed Daphne's voice. Ginny came in from the living room.

"_Muffliato!"_ Harry whispered as the Howler cried again.

"ASTORIA'S GOING OUT. SHE'LL BE BACK IN TWO HOURS. IT'S THE PERFECT TIME TO SNEAK DRACO OUT."

All of them stared.

"I'VE GOT A PLAN.

"WE'LL MOVE DRACO TO A SECRET PASSAGE IN HIS ROOM. I TOLD HIM ALL ABOUT IT, BUT SINCE THERE'S NO LIGHT, HE CAN'T LOCATE IT ALONE. I'M THE ONLY LIVING GREENGRASS THAT KNOWS ABOUT THE PASSAGE, SO IT'S SAFE. ALSO, IT LEADS TO A RIVERBANK SURROUNDED BY TALL TREES. I WENT THERE ONCE AND NO ONE KNEW WHERE I WENT. IT'S PERFECT.

"NOW, HARRY," Harry stood up, alert, "YOU POSITION YOURSELF WITH AURORS IN THAT RIVERBANK. ONCE YOU'RE THERE, YOU WILL SEE A KIND OF SEWER DRAIN. IT'S REALLY HEAVY, BUT I'LL APPLY OIL LATER. GINNY CAN COME WITH YOU, AND SO CAN THE KIDS, BUT EVERYONE MUST STAY BY THE RIVERBANK.

"ALSO, WE NEED A DIVERSION. HERMIONE, I'M COUNTING ON YOU THAT, IF EVER MY SISTER COMES BACK EARLY (SHE ALWAYS DOES), THEN YOU CAN DISTRACT HER WHILE I GO ESCORT DRACO TO THE PASSAGE.

"EVERYONE, I'M RELYING ON YOU. I'VE BEEN TALKING TO ASTORIA THESE DAYS AND SHE'S BEEN PLANNING ON A WIDESPREAD WEDDING AT HOGWARTS WITH DRACO. AND SHE THINKS THAT, IF YOU'LL KNOW, YOU'LL COME THERE AND STEAL THE SHOW. SO SHE'S PLANNING ON YOUR MURDER."

Hermione shivered. Astoria's getting more paranoid over Draco by the second. She looked at the smoldering pieces of parchment on the counter as the Howler burned itself.

All of them were shaken.

Harry stood up and made to go to the ministry to call reinforcements when he stopped dead. He turned to Hermione. "What will your distraction be, by the way?"

Hermione smiled wickedly, thinking her plan wasn't such a waste after all, "I'm going to pretend I'm joining the Dark Side.**"**

* * *

**A/N: **_Sorry, the shower at my house isn't giving me fresh ideas at the moment. :(_

_Though I have some right now. :))) _

_And I'm sorry for doing that to Hermione and Draco in that video. :(( I was thinking about it, again, in the shower. _

_Review? Look at the poem I made, too! It's in my profile!_

_((I rhymed again. Hahaha.))_


	7. Maze Of Tunnels

**A/N: **_Yaaay! It's Friday again! :DDDD_

_And awww... I argued with my crush for the second time this week. :(((_

_Oh well..._

_DISCLAIMER: There are some indirect mentions of Darkthrop Keep in this chapter. All mentions related to Aveyond are owned by their developers, the Amaranthians. :) And the characters in this fic are from J.K. Rowling._

_For some, I'm practically a 'stealer', though a cute one, I'm sure. Hahahah, xDDDD_

* * *

"All right, everyone set?"

Ginny, the children, Hermione, and the Aurors nodded, holding hands. Harry mapped out the site of the riverbank which, to their luck, was inhabited and wasn't Unplottable.

"Okay, on three," he said, gripping Ginny's hand in one of his and Albus's on the other, "one – two – "

Hermione didn't here Harry's last word because all off a sudden, an image of a riverbank came to her mind and she was driven to the suffocating darkness.

Her feet slammed into ground. She could hear water noisily moving. She heard the Aurors stumble about.

She opened her eyes.

"Wow," Ginny said, eyeing the river, "this looks like a scene from one of those Muggle fairytales I've heard…"

Hermione scanned the area. It was secluded by trees growing close together. It resembled the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. Not too far away she could see the top of what seemed to be a stately manor.

Greengrass Manor.

Ginny looked around and squealed. "It's the sewer drain!"

The Aurors crowded around it. Sure enough, it was a square sewer drain. It was tightly shut and one Auror even tried to pull it open, to no avail. Hermione saw that it was pitch black beyond the rusting metal bars.

"Whoa…" Harry said. Hermione turned around to see what he was looking at. She felt her eyes widen.

"What's _that _doing there?" Albus asked loudly.

He pointed at a crumbling tower as dark as the night. Its windows showed everyone that it was long since abandoned. The door was locked, and no one could open it, even by magic. One thing was clear: The tower was owned by a wizard from another culture, and whatever's in there, it must be kept secret.

Hermione edged toward the door where a sign was sticking out from the ground. It was bent by natural forces, and the then white paint was now brown. She could only decipher the word 'Keep' at the end. The first word was smudged and clawed. It was impossible to know who – or what – owned the tower.

"I'M HOME!" they heard from a distance. Flocks of birds flew. Everyone stared.

Astoria's back.

"Wish me luck, guys," Hermione muttered as she pulled the hood of her cloak on her head and plunged the forest bravely toward the direction of the enemy's lair.

* * *

Astoria hummed happily as she put vials of different colored potion on a Muggle test tube racket. Really, Muggles can help out potion masters a lot!

The doorbell rang. She jumped.

"Betty! Answer the door!" she screamed. A few seconds later, a crack was heard in the entrance hall.

Astoria strained her ears to hear what the conversation was. She couldn't hear any of it, because it was so fast and so low. Another CRACK! And Betty appeared in front of Astoria.

"Mistress," she said, bowing, "Miss… _Granger…_is here to have a conversation."

"What's it about?" she said, her hand inching toward the lethal ice-blue potion sitting innocently on the racket.

"She asks if she could be somehow a new recruit of the Dark Lord."

Astoria's eyebrows shot up. That was unexpected… and at the same time amusing.

"Out of my way," she said harshly, pushing the house elf aside, "I got to see this for myself."

* * *

"What are you doing, Granger?"

Hermione pretended to fidget under Astoria's gaze. Internally, she felt something knocking hard on the solid wall she put up around her mind. It was a good thing she practiced Occlumency with Harry a few days ago. If not, then Astoria's going to know this is just a petty act.

"I… I… wanted to – to be a new… _recruit… _of the Dark Lord…" she muttered. Astoria snorted.

"What the hell! Granger, don't you know how dangerous this is going to be? Really! _THIS _is the _brains _of the Golden Trio? Ha!"

Hermione winced, but kept her cool. Astoria stared. Normally, Granger at school would retort with a 'you're-just-saying-that-because-your-jealous' tone. But now… now, she's acting like a kid caught stealing a cookie from a jar, tripped on the stool, broke the jar, grasped the cat's tail, made the cat run away and get hit by a passing vehicle in the other street (Astoria's incident when she was four)!

Astoria rambled on. "We, the families of known former Death Eaters, are facing persecution, hate mail, and death threats! You, who are in the good side, get everything positive! And you think about going to the Dark side! It's like risking all the pureblood's riches and exchanging it for hell!"

Hermione was quiet. Then she answered, "For the Dark Lord, I am willing to serve. I think not of what the Ministry says. That's bullshit. The Dark Lord's plans are right. Even though I'm not allowed to follow them by heart because of my filthy bloodline, I am willing to shed my Muggle… name… and follow the pureblood's beliefs without snag."

Astoria was impressed. Her face might be impassive, but her words felt like it was from her heart. Something flashed in the brown orbs she was watching, and she turned away.

"May we talk this over at tea upstairs?" Astoria asked courteously, sensing Hermione weaken when she clutched a table. Hermione nodded and rushed behind Astoria to the second floor.

* * *

"Draco, come on; we've got to move…"

"Wait!"

"I've already signaled to Hermione that we were going to that passage to the sewer drain! Move!"

"Alright, don't nag!" Draco snapped as he felt his arms part company with the heavy chains from the wall. He picked up his wand and searched the walls as Daphne held out her wand to support lighting.

Draco felt the walls. If he could only remember exactly where that bloody passage was… He used to come here as a kid, but he always didn't play with Astoria. Daphne was the same age as him, and they could go exploring around the grounds. Astoria, who was fragile, can't go with them on that specific adventure where they found that underground passage.

He looked around and pushed random blocks. Some sunk in. Others didn't. He pushed another one and beside it opened a musty old passage. Compared to the really dark dungeon room, this was an unending abyss.

"Ready to go?" Daphne asked, clutching the small oilcan. Draco gulped and nodded. They went inside the dark tunnel, Daphne taking the lead. It was a simple task for them to get out of the manor and to lift that sewer drain cover. But the hard part is to not get lost in the tunnel, and when they found a fork with different directions, they knew that this was going to be a long walk through the maze of tunnels.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hope that 'speech' of Hermione's didn't scare you... :)))_

_It's just an act, so poor Tory. xDDDD_

_Review? I actually got a SHOCK when I saw 'How Things Are Going To Be' with 46 reviews! Thanks so much!_

_*Special thanks to Tita Prescie, who commented anonymously on my first fic. :))_

_Tita, ok lang ba yung una? haha. ang bilis mo man po magbasa. Less than an hour! It beats my record :'(*_

_Oh, I'm also going to include a Christmas countdown, so..._

_IT'S 29 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS! GIVE ME AN EARLY PRESENT AND REVIEW! :DDDD_


	8. Reunion With A Dash of Darkthrop

**DISCLAIMER: **_Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Aveyond belongs to Amaranthia and Bigfish. I'm just a fan of both. :]

* * *

_"So… even if the Dark Lord _has _gone, there are more possibilities for him to come back. We purebloods still stick to his beliefs…"

Hermione was starting to doze off on Astoria's speech. It felt like her speech about the 'Dark Lord's beliefs' were going to be a future religion soon.

"Any questions?"

Hermione snapped her head up, avoiding a strand of hair dipping into her already cold cup of tea. "Ah, yes. Can I mull things over for some time? I'm getting rather sick in this high altitude…"

Astoria's eyebrows scrunched up concerned. "Of course, you can. But if you say about what our plans are to the Ministry… you'll never see your precious Draco again."

Hermione gulped and pretended to be frightened. "I won't tell the Ministry."

"Good. Now, go. I have important vials to place on the racket."

Hermione stood up and hurried towards the stairs. Astoria went to her bedroom and hummed merrily. This was a good day for her. Potion vials were sold to her half the price because she killed the owner's son. She started to plan their – Draco and her – wedding. She flipped through dozens of Muggle magazines about wedding gowns. The news of Draco escaping was still four hours away.

* * *

Left… right… middle road… right… another right… left… right… left… middle… left…

"This is getting us nowhere!" Draco roared as the fifty-seventh fork met them. Daphne rolled her eyes at him.

"Look, if you want to be free, then just shut up!" she shouted. Then, in a softer tone, she continued, "this passage isn't soundproof, y'know. Someone in the kitchen could hear us. We went through this passage, remember? You counted all the forks, and it reached – "

"A hundred and seventy-nine, I know," Draco muttered. Daphne nodded and looked at her watch.

"Hermione should be at the clearing by now," she said. Draco's ears shot up. "Harry told her that an hour's diversion would do. It is half past nine, and the next visiting hour of Astoria's is on half-past one. So you're safe, and we've got a head start."

"Well, come on, then!" Draco said, taking the lead and going to another right road. Nothing could separate him from Hermione.

Not even…

"Are there supposed to be dead ends here?" Draco wondered aloud. Daphne didn't answer him. He turned around and saw no one there.

"Draco, you idiot!" Daphne screamed from a nearby road. "It's not the right road, it's the middle!"

"Oh, right! Meet me at the fork again!"

"For God's Sake!"

"Come on!"

"Alright! Alright, already! SHEEESH!"

* * *

Harry was pacing up and down for the millionth time. He checked his watch, which was formerly Fabian Prewett's. It was half-past nine, and Hermione's still not here!

"Chill, Harry; I'm right here," Hermione said behind him. Harry jumped and hugged Hermione.

"Is everything alright?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded as she hugged her.

"Yeah. Are Draco and Daphne here yet?"

"Well, no… but we _had _seen a flash of light down there… but it was small… like from the tip of a wand."

"Well, then, let's go and help them out before they meet dead ends," Hermione said, and went to the sewer drain. It was so heavy and it wasn't moved for a long time, so the metal rusted and it was impossible for mere 'Hermione' strength to lift it.

She sighed and slumped on the door of the tower. The wind blew noisily inside its hollow form. The trees were swaying in the breeze. It was a perfect day… a perfect day to spoil with dark plans and rescue missions and a new accomplice and the return of a loved one… If she weren't a witch – no, don't think that. IF she weren't a witch, she wouldn't have met Draco.

All they had to do is to wait, in the case of Hermione… to pace, in the case of Harry… to enjoy the scenery, in the case of Ginny… to be dumb, exceptionally done by the Aurors… and to yawn, in the case of Albus.

_CREAK._

Hermione stood up, alarmed. She looked at the sewer drain. There was nothing there yet. Daphne and Draco weren't here yet. She looked at the door to the 'keep'. It was slightly opened. Pushing it further open, she stepped into the keep, unnoticed by the others.

The tower looked small on the outside, but some kind of magic made the size of the interior oddly proportioned – not even the kind at Hogwarts can make it look like a manor and castle combined!

The walls were made of white marble. They were steadily cracked. Plants and vines were creeping up at them from below and from the wall-sized windows. The room was literally bare except for… _rope fibers._

There were two staircases leading up to another floor. Hermione slowly ascended the steps and looked around. The top was smaller than the floor below. It was circular, and directly in front of Hermione was a kind of pedestal. It was shaped oddly, like a miniature pillar in one of those Greek temples, and it held a kind of grey clay that hardened to support what Hermione thought was circular… like…

…a crystal ball.

"Eww! TRELAWNEY GENES!" she thought. She looked around and found a dusty orb, not a crystal ball. It was pulsing with light, reminding her of the time they went to the Department of Mysteries and got Harry's prophecy in the Hall of Prophecies. She picked it up and dusted it. The orb's gold light seemed to flicker at her touch, but then it brightened. She went to put it on the pedestal to see if it fit. Sure enough, it did.

As soon as the orb touched the clay, its light went out.

Hermione wondered as he looked at the orb. Something was holding her back from getting the orb again. Then, without warning, the spot where she and the pedestal stood shook, and they were lifted upwards to the roof.

She opened her eyes to see a breathtaking scene. The forest looked somehow… younger… and there was no Greengrass Manor in sight. Most of all, it was dark and windy. Three figures were standing over the balcony: one hooded figure, holding the exact same orb Hermione just handled, one younger man, who was arguing with the hooded figure, and a woman with long caramel-colored hair, who stood at the sidelines. Hermione was there as an extra character… a phantom, more like.

_"Give me the orb," the young man said. The older man growled._

_"Why? I could plunge the world into darkness with this…" the hooded figure muttered hoarsely. "You want to be on the 'good side' for that girl over there…"_

_The hooded figure pointed to the woman, who squeaked. "What happened to my loyal assistant?"_

_"He was long gone," the young man replied curtly, pointing to himself, "and he hated the father that became the Darkest being on earth…_

_"And now, he has no regrets… GIVE ME THE ORB!"_

_The wind roared on their ears. The rain lashed their faces, except Hermione's. The hooded figure dropped his hood, revealing his face. He looked a lot like Dumbledore, only the white beard was shorter and curled itself into a small goatee like Karkaroff's. His eyes were glinting and red like Voldemort's, and his teeth were… yellowing. Hermione repressed a shudder._

_"NO ONE CAN STOP MORDRED DARKTHROP FROM PLUNGING THE WORLD INTO DARKNESS!" he roared, lifting the orb in his hands while lightning illuminated his face. "ONE DAY MY DESCENDANT WOULD CARRY ON MY WILL!"_

_The young man had had enough. He pushed his father down the tower and tried to grab the orb, but failed. Mordred Darkthrop fell, laughing maniacally, clutching the orb close to his chest, his words still ringing in everyone's ears.

* * *

_

Hermione dashed down the stairs, the orb still in her sweaty hand. She had had enough of this tower. It felt like déjà vu, like she had been here before… And the orb was like her personal toy, only it wasn't scribbled on with crayon when she was younger.

"Hermione, where were you – WHOA!" Ginny exclaimed, stopping as Hermione panted. "Hermione, you alright? I thought you hated Divination…"

"This isn't a crystal ball…" Hermione gasped. "It's Mordred Darkthrop's first creation, the orb of Life."

"It's who-the-hell's first creation, the what-the-heck?" Harry asked, amused. Hermione felt a twinge of annoyance.

"Never mind… so, what have you guys been doing?" she asked.

"Draco and Daphne are here. Daphne's applying oil on the sewer drain. The Aurors are going to lift the cover anytime soon…"

Hermione's ears strained for some sort of noise. There was a noisy creak and a squeal of "Daddy!"

"HE'S HERE!" Hermione roared, and she dashed back to see that familiar pale face, that familiar sweet smile, and those familiar grey eyes…

"Hermione," Draco muttered. Hermione's eyes shone with tears. She hugged him tight and kissed him on the lips, missing him so badly for weeks. Nothing could stop them now… except…

"PARENTS KISSING! EWWWWWWW!" Megara, Michael, and James screamed. Albus was scratching his head. The three kids ran a good distance to blur out the vision of 'parents making out', with James dragging Albus along.

The adults laughed as they watched the kids go. Ah… youth at its best…

* * *

**A/N: **_Yaaaaaay! They're together again! :DDDDD_

_Party party! xDDDDDDD_

_And me and my crush are talking again1 And my other crush added me (finally)!_

_Review? :))))_


	9. Astoria and The Track of Oil

**A/N: **_I'm sorry it's just one chapter. :)) I got hooked on Pet Forest. xDD_

_Sorry it's a bit OOC for me. Hehe. Not the characters, my writing. x] Hope you still enjoy._

* * *

Astoria stretched her arms upward tiredly. She looked at her watch.

1:30 p.m. She squeaked.

She spent _four bloody hours _sticking post-its on every wedding dress she likes instead of grooming herself? What was the matter with the world?

She hurriedly got up and put on lipstick. In a matter of seconds her pale lips were a shocking magenta, the color of Pansy's lips when Draco invited her to the Yule Ball. _Well, Pansy's with another guy now, _she thought happily, _and I'm going to be married to Draco in just – _

"Drakkie-poo!" she roared as she opened the dungeon door. No one answered.

"Are you asleep?" she shouted. Again, no answer. She walked around, forgetting she had a wand, and treading on something. She wobbled and fell on her behind with a loud, "YOW!" There was a loud crack and then she remembered that she had a wand… but now she hadn't. She groped around the dark room and felt the chain she had wobbled on. She pulled on the long and heavy chain, thinking she was pulling Draco's arm towards her.

She groped the end of the chain. Nothing.

Her Draco escaped.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" she screamed. Being in a dark room all alone completely vulnerable was her biggest weakness. She ran for the door, or where she thought the door was, and smacked right into the wall.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" She screamed again, and groped around the walls. She found the dungeon door and ran around the house, earning her a look from her mother that said, "She _finally _got unhinged…"

* * *

Hermione had a nagging feeling as she talked to Draco. A thought about the orb, and that caramel-haired woman, and then it gets to Astoria. They were still at the clearing, too happy to be in Draco's presence once again to go home. Besides, they were discreet, anyways.

"Daphne," she called out. Daphne was sitting with the kids.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"What if Astoria tries to follow you?"

"She'll have a hard time to," Daphne said simply. Draco butted in.

"Daphne, I thought oil was leaking from that oilcan?" he said, confused. All of them, except Daphne, panicked.

"Quick! Quick! Davids, close the drain!" Harry roared. One Auror hurriedly picked up the sewer drain cover and fitted it into the hole.

"Hey – wait – err, guys?" Daphne muttered, but all of them had crowded around the sewer drain. Hermione and Harry waved their wands and made the Permanent Sticking Charm on the cover.

"That should do it," Harry said, relieved.

"You didn't have to do it," Daphne retorted coolly. Hermione grew angry.

"And what's wrong with extra precautions?" she snapped. Daphne just raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"You'll see," she answered sweetly. Ginny looked at her, confused. Once all of them were all out of earshot, Daphne whispered her plan to Ginny.

"So what you're saying is…" Ginny said slowly.

"Yep," Daphne said, looking triumphant. Ginny grinned proudly.

"DAPHNE GREENGRASS, YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE GENIUS!"

Daphne was engulfed in a tight hug, which she returned, oblivious to the fact that everyone was staring at them as though Voldemort had just done a spectacular pirouette.

* * *

"Alright," Astoria hollered, pacing back and forth in front of the line of timid house-elves. "I want you to search the dungeons for any – and I mean _any – _form of escaping. Once you've found it, tell me immediately. Don't tell anyone, even Mistress Daphne. Understood?"

The elves nodded vigorously, their bat-like ears flapping. Then they all disappeared with a loud CRACK!

Astoria sighed and rubbed her temples. What a stressful day… She spent four hours sticking post-its on wedding magazines… Draco escaped… she felt like her mind was going overdrive.

"Mistress!" someone squeaked. Astoria looked down to see Betty fidgeting with her skirt.

"Well? What is it _this _time?" she asked harshly. The elf shrank.

"B-Betty found the place where Master Draco is escaped!" it replied, looking at her with hopefulness. She was, in fact, under the rescue team. She was the one assigned by Daphne to tell her beloved sister about the oil leak, guaranteeing her sister to fall right into a trap.

Astoria jumped up. "Lead the way, Betty."

The house-elf nodded and scurried to the dungeons with Astoria hot on her heels. The house-elves, who were still searching under some rocks, looked at them curiously. They went inside the dungeon room and Betty led the mistress to the opening of the tunnel. Once there, Astoria's eyes accustomed to the dark and can see the unending abyss in front of her. She stepped forward and nearly slipped.

"What is this?" she asked, bending down to get a look at the substance. She felt it. It was sticky. She smelled it. She drew her finger away instantly.

"Oil," she muttered to herself. She looked forward and the track of oil rounded a corner and disappeared.

"Come, Betty," she said imperiously. "You lead. Follow that track of oil."

* * *

"Seriously, guys, I think we should go back now…"

"Err… why, Hermione?" Harry asked, scratching his head, not noticing the pink-and-purple background behind him.

"It's dusk, Harry!" she pointed out.

A moment's silence.

"Oooooohh!" The others chorused. Hermione slapped her forehead.

"Well, come on, then! Let's Apparate to the – "

"- Burrow," Draco cut Hermione's words. "I thought that you might've been kind of scared to be at the manor all alone and I figured you went to either Harry's or Ginny's house."

"Now I have no doubt that you _are _second best," Hermione said playfully. Draco put on a fake hurt expression clearly stating, "You had doubts?" but then smiled.

"If I were best, then you would have _serious _doubts," he replied, and Hermione laughed. Harry dismissed the Aurors, who were lolling around, and they all Apparated to the Burrow for a happy family dinner.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Arrgh!" Astoria cried out as she turned sharply on a fork in the road and got her robe caught in the brambles that appeared from nowhere. "Betty, help me!"

"Yes, mistress!" the house elf squeaked and ran toward the bush. She tugged and pulled and worked her hardest. The result: not an untangled robe.

"Worthless house elf!" Astoria screamed, aiming a kick at Betty, who ducked just in time. She looked around and saw that it was a dead end. The oilcan was just lying there innocently in the middle of a puddle of oil. It was also dark and she couldn't see anything anymore.

"Betty?" she asked tentatively, looking into the darkness side to side. Betty's voice came to her from the right.

"Miss, Betty is sorry, but someone is calling Betty," she squeaked. Then, after a loud CRACK! She was gone.

"No! No!" Astoria said, panic rushing through her. "NOOO! Betty, come back! Come baaaack!"

There was no crack nearby, which means that she was out of Greengrass grounds, and can't call the house elves here, since this tunnel is Unplottable.

"SHIIT! SOMEONE HELP MEEEEEEE! DRACO! DRACOOOO! BETTTYYYYYYYYY! DON'T LEAVE MEEEEEEE!" were Astoria's cries for the rest of the night while in some distant place, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Draco, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Daphne were raising their glasses for a reunion and thanks to Betty the house elf, who was crying tears of joy as she saw noble men and women thanking her.

* * *

**A/N: **_I'm sowee, Tory. :))_

_xDDD Review? :3_

_And yeah, I love Astoria's screams. Hahahahaa. HA! xDDD_


	10. Home Sweet Glass Shack

**A/N: **_I'm SOOOOOOO sorry for the late upload. :(( We had exams this week, so I was pretty busy. I hope this'll do. :)

* * *

_

"We're here," Draco said.

Hermione shook her head. She doubled her grip on Draco's waist.

"Err… Hermione?" Draco asked uncertainly.

"Mm?"

"I told you we're here…"

Hermione didn't believe him. Her eyes were still shut tight.

"Aw, come on, Mom!" said Michael's voice, "Why're you so afraid of riding a broomstick?"

"Because I, unlike you, don't have the skills for flying," she replied, her voice a little muffled because of her head being buried deeply onto Draco's back.

"Just open your eyes!" Draco said, trying hard not to laugh, "I promise, look! Both of my feet are on the ground!"  
Hermione lifted her eyelid a millimeter, and saw that her husband's feet was indeed on solid ground. She hurriedly scrambled off of the broom, breathing deeply.

"Never… never again…" she panted, but Draco cut her off.

"What? You'll never stand on a broom, petrified like there's no tomorrow for five minutes?"

The afternoon was spent with the couple chasing each other on the grounds, holding water balloons and hosepipes and handfuls of mud as the twins sat on the porch, watching the two adults run.

"This is really déjà vu," Michael whispered.

"More like irony," Megara retorted, smiling as Hermione threw a large handful of mud and splattered onto Draco's face. Michael, who was holding a quill and some parchment, held up the roll that clearly stated '10'.

* * *

"Kids, get ready! We're going to a party, remember?"

"Aw, mum, I don't wanna go!"

"Yeah, I'm tired!"

"Well, we can't have that…" Draco said, fixing his tie.

"But we also can't just leave you here," Hermione said, sighing as she straightened out her dress. "Oh, well… more Chocolate Frogs, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and other sweets from Honeydukes for me…"

That did it.

"I'M COMING!" Michael roared and dashed to his bedroom.

"HEY, NO FAIR!" Megara shouted back as she, too, ran to her closet. The parents snickered.

"Slick," Draco muttered, smiling.

"What? You used to do that with Harry when we were at Hogwarts, remember?" she replied lightly. Draco chuckled.

"Sure, I do. I was a big prat back then. I didn't know _where _I thought of that wide-mouthed tree frog replacing him as Seeker next. I mean, I just dreamt of it."

"You dreamt of a wide-mouthed tree frog..."

"Yeah, so?"

Silence.

Then Hermione broke into peals of laughter.

"OH – MY – GOOOD!" she screamed, clutching her stomach. Draco looked at her and laughed as the twins made their way back to their parents' room.

"Whassamatter?" Michael said, yawning at his mother's doubled up figure, laughing so hard that tears came willingly.

* * *

The Malfoys were out of the rubber tube they were being squeezed in and heard the blaring noise of music and crackles from firecrackers in the Burrow's backyard. The lopsided house with its many expansions and chimneys were dark, but they could see it against the light of George's new version of his Wildfire Whizbangs. They entered the gate, and the chickens scattered around the dirty Wellington boots on the kitchen door with its partner, the rusty cauldron.

"They never change," Hermione muttered, smiling. Draco squeezed her hand and looked over at his twins.

"Okay, guys, I want you to behave," he said softly, "Don't go running around where we can't see you. Don't go to the Burrow because it's dark, and don't go to the attic."

"Why, Dad?"

"Because there's a ghoul in there; when we were at war, we made some precautions of our existence so that the Death Eaters won't catch us. The ghoul was transformed into a hairy red monster with purple pustules to look like Ron with spattergroit," explained Hermione.

"Oh, so it _was _a ghoul!" Draco roared. "I knew it wasn't Weasley; his freckles aren't purple…"

"But you didn't say that out loud, did you?"

"No, because the other Death Eaters with me – Rookwood, Dolohov, Nott, and Mulciber – were all lying around, saying that they needed a break."

Hermione smirked. "Bet the Dark Lord didn't like that."

"Hell, yeah." Draco said, laughing.

There was a squeal from the crowd and two seconds later all the wind inside Hermione and Draco were forced out.

"Oh, I'm so glad you could come!"

"Mrs. – Weasley – can't – breathe!" they said in unison, and Mrs. Weasley broke off, still beaming.

"I'm so glad you could come," she said again, ecstatic as always, "It _is _Christmas already, and Draco here came back," she pinched Draco in the cheek, "so, might as well merge things!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Draco mumbled, rubbing on his then-pale-now-red cheek. Michael hid a snigger; Megara hid a squeal.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, looking at the kids.

Michael was now giggling. Megara was jumping up and down. After a minute or two, the twins burst into a noisy boom: Michael laughing, and Megara screaming.

"What the hell!" the parents said, covering the twins' mouths while covering their ears. Many people at the party turned to look.

"What was that all about?" Draco and Hermione asked. Mrs. Weasley could see spit flying from their mouths.

"LOOK AT JAMES AND ALBUS!" they roared. Hermione looked and she also squealed.

"Why, you look so handsome, James!" she complimented to the ten-year-old wearing a black tux. His brown eyes glinted appreciatively and his hair was stuck up at the back like his father's. Albus came running to his older brother, panting, flushed, and sweaty.

At this, Michael nudged Megara hard in the ribs, and his twin began to blush.

"Good evening, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Draco!" he said, gasping. He winked at the twins, and Megara instantly hid behind her father, who froze.

"Nice outfit, Albus," Michael said, smiling. Albus was wearing black pants and a green-and-black checkered polo shirt to highlight his green eyes which were inherited from Harry. In personal, he looked like a miniature Harry, but the personality was as fiery as the hair of his redhead mother.

"Thanks; yours is, too," he replied. Michael was also wearing a tux, only white. His blonde hair was ruffled so that it looked like he was just woken from bed.

"Hey! Megara's is, too!" Michael retorted, shoving his twin in front. Megara was wearing a cream colored, sleeveless dress, and it ballooned toward her just above the knee. Her blonde hair was out of its usual pigtail hairstyle. It was now tumbling down her back and framing her face gracefully.

Albus blushed. "All I can say is… wow, Megs…"

Draco's eyes narrowed, but then Harry arrived, looking as dashing as ever.

"HEEEEEY! THERE'S THE STAR OF THE SHOW!" he roared. Ginny came hurrying to his side and slapped him in the face.

She turned around to face the crowd, who had raised eyebrows and hanging jaws. "Sorry," she said, "Too much firewhiskey."

"Firewhiskey? Can I try that, Dad?"

"Absolutely not, Michael. I forbid you!"

Michael went behind Albus, mumbling and sulking. Hermione put a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Relax; we're not even at the party yet…"

Draco sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

Ginny rushed them in, and a wave of congratulators approached them, some with expressions about to puke, others with red faces. They made their way to the center, where a dance floor like the one at Bill and Fleur's wedding was placed.

The party lasted for hours. For the people, it seemed like days. Hermione sat down by the refreshments table, panting from all the dancing. Draco was dancing with Mrs. Weasley, and by the light of the marquee they were dancing in, Hermione could see sweat trickling down his neck. She took a glass of firewhiskey, downed it, and closed her eyes.

The music stopped. Screams rent the air. Hermione thought she was having a nightmare.

She opened her eyes, and pandemonium reigned.

People were running towards the gates of the Burrow to Apparate. George, Percy, Bill, and Charlie were looking for the kids. Draco was nowhere to be found. They all went outside just as the marquee fell into a heap. There were burning bushes and trees, and an overturned pedestal which supported the person Hermione loathed, swishing her wand back and forth, screaming into the night.

"GREENGRASS, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Hermione roared, drawing her wand out and pushing her way through numerous people.

"DRACOOOOOOO! COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU AAAAAAAAAAAARE!" Astoria was screaming, burning every bush and tree Draco might be using for a hideout. One spell hit a blonde girl, and she fell, stunned.

"NOOOOOOO! MEGARAAAA!" Albus screeched. Him and Michael came hurrying forward to assist Megara.

"YOU DON'T MESS WITH MY KIDS, GREENGRASS," Hermione said dangerously from behind.

Astoria turned around, smiling. "No worries, Granger," she said, "I already got what I wanted."

She showed Hermione a stunned form of Draco, eyez glazed, mouth half-opened as though in surprise.

Hermione snorted. "The same trick won't work twice, Greengrass," Hermione said indifferently, raising her wand.

"Oh, this isn't a boggart," Astoria replied, smug. She took her wand, pointed it at Draco, and said, "_Rennervate."_

The body stirred, and Hermione froze. The head looked sideways, the opens half-opened, and the mouth mumbling, "Hermione…"

Hermione's eyes widened as Astoria fled.

"YOU BITCH!" Hermione screamed, running after her. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were tending to the kids, who were wrapped up in blankets and being served hot chocolate. Hermione jumped between them, not caring if her dress fluttered. They were heading to a kind of shack with one side made entirely of glass. It was in the marquee package, though no one knew what its purpose was.

Hermione rounded the corner, but neither Astoria nor Draco were in sight. She had a feeling they were at the glass shack, as she had dubbed it. She walked carefully down the path, her chocolate eyes reflected with dancing red flames from all around her. She walked cautiously until she reached the glass shack and went inside of it.

"Goodbye, Mudblood," Astoria said, resurfacing from a nearby bush, and sent a spell on the glass.

All Hermione could remember was a crack, a searing pain, a mad cackle, and a faint pop. And after a few moments, Hermione Malfoy lost consciousness.

* * *

**A/N: **_So, there it goes. Hope you like it. :))) _

_Review? Pweeesh? My Dad's buying me an A-tab... or... an iPad... for Christmas! Hahaha... _

_Nah, I'm just hoping ;) _


	11. That Unnerving Smile

**A/N: **_Heeeeey! It's meeee! :DDD _

_FOr me, my writing's getting more OOC by the chapter. Haha. Hope you understand. :))

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_

Healers were rushing past. Patients and visitors were startled as Hermione Malfoy was rushed into a ward. Two children hurried behind. Ginny Potter came next. Harry was nowhere to be seen. He hit his head on a tree trunk, fell, and was instantly snoring.

Michael, who was very pale, clutched Ginny's hand tightly. "Is mum going to be okay?"

Ginny could sense the worry in his voice. "Of course," she replied, "your mother is very tough. She can handle this."

Megara looked at Hermione, and she turned a sickly pale green. She hurried behind Ginny.

"What is it?" Ginny asked. Megara pointed at Hermione's head.

There was a large glass shard protruding from it, and blood was gushing out everywhere. She had fainted, but Merlin knows how deep the wound is. They took a step forward, but one Healer pushed them back.

"I'm sorry, but no visitors allowed," he said curtly, roughly pushing them to the door.

"But – no, we aren't – look, her husband isn't – "Ginny stuttered, but the Healer didn't listen.

"She will be fine. We will tell you when the operation is finished. Please go out and wait in the hallway. The medication might nauseate the kids."

And with that, the door to the ward was closed. The three of them heard the lock click. Megara sank in the nearest chair and rested her head on her hands. Michael sat down beside her, trembling. Ginny peered into the small window, and she could see all the Healers and their respective assistants crowding around Hermione. Ginny could only see the glass shard through the bent heads.

One Healer looked back at her, and then shook his head. He went to the door; his gloves all bloody, and produced a curtain hiding the operation.

* * *

The trio was waiting outside patiently. Every so often, they would hear a door opening and closing. Sometimes, they heard Healers talking. Sometimes, the wail of an old woman. But not one peep was heard from where Hermione was still being worked on.

Megara had fallen asleep with her head lolling on her chest. Her legs were crossed so tightly like she had to go to the bathroom. Ginny looked at the sleeping child and was astonished that Megara had tear tracks on her cheeks. Perhaps she had cried herself to sleep.

Michael was pacing back and forth the long hallway. Sometimes he would get a glass of water. Whenever he would pass his twin and Ginny, they would see that his eyes were filled with worry and his lips looked as if they had no life. Michael was acting all jumpy and tense, and he kept biting his nails and twisting his hands.

There were footsteps getting closer. Ginny's ears perked up. She counted closely… one… two… no. There were three people going in their direction. She craned her neck and saw her pale mother and her very tired children.

"Is Hermione okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked, concerned. Albus sat next to Megara while James ran off to the other side of the hallway where Michael was.

"We don't know. That Healer didn't want us to see," Ginny whispered. Mrs. Weasley just nodded. "Why did you bring the kids here?"

"Well, what did you expect? Your father was at work filing a case against that Greengrass, Harry's still snoring on the couch, and the kids won't sleep until they find out if all is fine."

Ginny sighed and looked at a nearby clock.

It was 2:35 anti meridiem.

Megara stretched her arms and yawned. She looked around and wiped her face free of tears. Then she looked at Ginny and said, "Can I please have something to eat?"

"Sure, you can," Ginny replied, smiling, a little sadly, "Want me to call your brother? James and Albus are also here."

Megara seemed to be instantly awake, but hid it very well. "Yes, please."

* * *

They ventured out in the Muggle world because no one ever liked hospital food.

They were eating at a fast food place, because there weren't many stores open for twenty-four hours. Megara was eating silently beside Albus, who had already finished eating and was looking outside. James was ordering another serving of ice cream to stay awake. Mrs. Weasley stayed at St. Mungo's.

James came back with another three scoops of ice cream and sat down beside Ginny. He didn't eat it right away, though. "When can we see Aunt Hermione again, Mum?"

"Anytime soon. The Healers just have to take that shard out and stop the bleeding."

James nodded and spooned the ice cream slowly. Megara was acting all tense. She was looking everywhere except where Albus was. Albus, on the other hand, had his eyes and nose glued on the glass to see in the dark, his breath misting the glass.

"Hey," he said suddenly, "I think Gramma's here."

Ginny looked outside and saw Mrs. Weasley running toward them, her home-knitted Gryffindor scarf still on her neck. She signaled to her and pretended to clutch something by her neck. Mrs. Weasley looked puzzled for a moment, then took the scarf off before entering.

"Close call, Mum," Ginny greeted. "So, what's up?"

"The Healers are done," Mrs. Weasley replied. She looked tired but happy. "You can see her in a few minutes."

Megara jumped up and down on her seat. Michael sighed in relief. The Potters smiled and laughed.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" James said, dropping his spoon. "Let's go see Aunt Hermione!"

* * *

They rushed to the door, and one Healer allowed them to enter reluctantly.

When they entered, there was a lingering smell of something. Ginny couldn't place her finger on it, but it sure smelled like medicine. Hermione was lying on her bed, in her own private ward, squinting and frowning at the ceiling.

The door closed behind the crowd, and Hermione looked up. She smiled and gestured to the seats beside her.

"So, how's the night?" she said jokingly as she looked around the pale and tired faces.

"It was very long," Ginny muttered before yawning. Hermione nodded.

"I agree. Those Healers pulled that shard away in two hours. I was ready to rest but then one stupid Healer said to have a check up on my head if the glass shard had reached my skull. So the x-ray began and lasted for some thirty minutes and the scan showed no damage. Then that Healer shook his head and ran me through a series of tests, and – "

Slow down, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, holding Hermione's hand, "you're out of breath."

Hermione sighed. "Yeah… you're right… but I really want to get out of here!" she said indignantly.

Ginny shook her head. "The Healers said you have to stay here for at least a day to recover."

"But I need to find Draco and kick Greengrass' ass!"

"Ooh. Nice rhyme."

Hermione laughed. Megara hugged her and so did Michael.

"I missed you, Mum," she whispered. Michael nodded fervently.

"I missed you, too," Hermione replied, kissing their foreheads. "Won't you at least stay here? I want you to hear about my plan…"

"What plan!" they all exclaimed.

Hermione smiled smugly. "You'll see. But right now I need you to do some errands for me."

There was something unnerving about that smile, and Ginny wasn't at all sure wheteher she wanted to know what it meant.

* * *

**A/N:**_ I just love this. Nuff said. :)) _

_Review?_


	12. Wedding Crashers

**A/N: **_Okay, I know that this is going to be OOC writing, so please bear it. :( I'm currently into the House Of Night series, and everytimeI read a new book, I kinda get into the words (or phrases, or sentences, or anything) the author writes. so forgive me if the 'whatever' and the 'vampyre fledgling' part is off-course._

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. NOR DO I OWN AVEYOND AND THE HOUSE OF NIGHT._**

* * *

Harry, Ginny, Albus, James, Michael, Megara, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and a few handpicked Aurors (Harry had a hard time picking the ones who were working at a slow pace, but at least they were working compared to the sloths infiltrating the Auror office) were crowded around Hermione Malfoy's bed, clutching a series of weird things: a small, dusty orb that seemed to glow faintly, a map of the new hide-out of Astoria Greengrass, and Hermione's wand.

"What the heck is the use for all of this?" Ginny exclaimed, looking around. Nothing seems to get even close to _her _idea of what Hermione stated as 'kicking Greengrass' ass'. She recognized that orb Hermione got from that eerie tower by the clearing and shook her head. Was that glass shard on Hermione's head embedded too deeply?

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking if I'm insane."

"No," Ginny said quickly, "I'm thinking what the hell these things are going to do! They don't stand a chance against Astoria!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes as she felt a twinge of annoyance. Over the past few days she had grown overprotective on that glass orb, which she often calls the 'orb of life'. Whatever. It seems to Ginny like Trelawney's plaything when she was young and her parents didn't want to buy her a real crystal ball.

"Harry," Hermione said, looking over where said person was. Harry was slumped on the visitor's couch, his head falling slowly inward toward his body then suddenly flicking up. He was obviously trying to stay awake from the drinking last night.

"Huh?" he said dumbly, blinking hard. James snorted.

"I need you to get me out of here. _Fast,_" Hermione stressed the last word. Harry blinked, confused. "Oh, come on," Hermione said, exasperated. "George invented a copy of the Marauder's Map, but this map doesn't just show Hogwarts. It basically shows any building the holder is in. Remember, Harry? _Remember?"_

To Megara, Hermione looked as if she was trying to make her lost puppy remember playing dead.

"Uhh… oh, right!" Harry exclaimed. He stood up instantly and regretted it at once.

"Damn headache…" he muttered, fishing an old piece of parchment from his side pocket and giving it to Hermione. "Here; it's like the Marauder's Map, you know. Saying 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' and 'Mischief Managed'. The only thing that's different is, well, see for yourself."

Harry pointed his wand at the parchment and muttered "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

All at once, thin black lines started to appear from where the wand was, intertwining like spider webs and intricate tattoos. Little dots were here and there, moving, with minuscule writing just above them. The map was entitled, "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes are proud to bring alive again Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs by their exquisite invention, The Marauder's Map."

The kids were awestruck as they saw their tiny dots in Hermione's ward, standing where they stood. Hermione looked at Harry. He had tears in his eyes.

"I knew George was onto something," he said, "I knew it when he asked me if the 'Monseigneurs' part should be spelt out or shortened…"

Hermione smiled. "Well, can I have a look at it?"

Harry handed her the map, and she saw dots – many of them – in St. Mungo's, like the map was a ginormous Chocolate Chip cookie and the chocolates were scattered, but it was really close. Hermione noticed some very fine threads leading outside, and one was connected to where they were all standing (in Hermione's case, lying down).

"Alright," she said, pointing to the fine thread, "There's some sort of secret passage here."

Harry looked at it, looked around, found the tile wall, felt it, and hit it with his elbow. It made a hollow _clang! _

"Yep. It's here," he muttered, going back to the others. Hermione nodded.

"Ginny, could you please turn that off?" she said warily and pointed to the Muggle television (yes, St. Mungo's rooms have television), which was showing a soap opera.

"Oh… I'll just turn the volume down…" she said. She was always rather dramatic when it comes to soap operas.

"Right, well… let's get – "

Hermione coughed. It didn't seem much of a big deal to anyone, and they hoped she just cleared her throat and continue speaking.

Hermione coughed again; this time, it shook her body.

"Her… Hermione?" Harry asked, wide-eyed. Megara's grip tightened around her twin brother's arm, who winced.

Hermione kept coughing with her hand covering her mouth. Ginny offered a glass of water, and when Hermione went to take it, the glass fell to the floor.

"Hermione!" Ginny said, completely freaked out. "Y-you're hand!"

"Mum! Mum, there's blood!" The twins chorused.

Hermione looked down and saw blood on her hands. Precisely.

"Mum! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Michael ushered.

"No, Mum! You're not going to die!" Megara screeched. Everyone stiffened.

"No, Megara," Hermione garbled, "I am _not _going to die… I'm not a vampyre fledgling, remember?"

"O-oh, yeah…"

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"We've been reading," Hermione and Megara said.

The soap opera was cut off and there was a news update, showing the familiar castle of Hogwarts all decorated in white and green with people outside.

"I'm Kathy Drew, live from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the supposed 'wedding of the century' will take place in two hours."

Hermione gaped, blood dripping on the floor.

Ginny's eyebrows went up.

Harry furiously turned up the volume.

"The soon-to-be newlyweds are Miss Astoria Greengrass and Mister Draco Malfoy. Indeed, they are perfect for each other," the newscaster was saying. Hermione noticed her smile getting fixed at this point. "Yes, it is very controversial about the fact that Mister Malfoy is married to one Hermione Granger-Malfoy, the brains of the Golden Trio in the Dark Days, and – "

The newscaster was set aside with a loud "oomph!" and Astoria was focused on the camera - her veil lopsided, her hair a mess, her face all smudged with lipstick, and the strap of her dress hanging on her arm – holding the camera, smiling widely. Hermione remembered Bellatrix Lestrange.

"I WON, GRANGER!" she roared into the camera, coming nearer and nearer the camera lens. The cameraman backed away. "I got Draco, you filthy Mudblood! He deserves to have me instead of a castaway like you! Just be the stuck-up bitch you are and accept that HE JILTED YOU!"

The cameraman stumbled on a wire and the camera focused on the sky. There was a flash of blue and the television went black.

"Wow…" Ginny muttered.

"Issues," Hermione said, "That girl has issues."

"Major ones, at that."

"That's why you're coughing blood!" Harry exclaimed to the room. "Draco's getting married!"

"Sharp one, ain't he?" Ginny muttered sarcastically.

"No, he makes sense," Hermione said, wiping the blood from her mouth, "Draco's getting married, and the spell casted when _we _were married is suppose to detect infidelity. When one is unfaithful, the two will die, remember?"

There was silence in the whole group. Hermione stood up and went to the bathroom.

"I'm going to change," she said without turning around, though Ginny could swear she saw her grinning evilly, "You all better get ready. We're going to crash a wedding."

* * *

**A/N: **_Yeaaaah! Wedding crashers! :DDDDDD_

_C'mon, Reviiieeeewwww! :DDD_


	13. The Duel

**A/N: **_So sorry for the late update. :'( I was totally busy with uploading every story I had in mind, published, or not yet. (seriously, I have so many folders to classify the documents :gonk:)_

_Well, enjoy this one! Oh, advanced Happy New Year! :D _

_((My Dad got me an iPad, but it'll come on January 3 TT^TT))

* * *

_

Music started to play at the background. The audience emitted a general awestruck sigh as the front doors of Hogwarts opened to reveal Astoria Greengrass in a white, strapless Cinderella-style wedding dress. The boundary was encrusted with diamonds (real ones) and her train trailed along.

Everyone was whispering excitedly; everyone but her soon-to-be-but-hopefully-not husband. Draco was neither awestruck, nor dumbstruck, nor starstruck, nor any kind of –struck. _He was plain revolted._

He was coughing endlessly, and his vision was getting blurred, and he was feeling as if his lungs are being drowned from the inside with every step Astoria takes nearer to him. He tried to struggle, but Astoria's deranged mind had lit the light bulb and chained Draco to the floor (of course the guests doesn't see it). He was dreading every second with Astoria, dreading that, with Hermione's injuries that he had witnessed moments before Disapparating, she might not be able to make it in time to break them up.

Instead, he bought himself time and looked around while Astoria beamed at everyone, her feet dragging onto the red carpet in a pace a turtle could easily overwhelm. The Great Hall was decorated lavishly in white and green with flecks of silver here and there. It looked wonderful, in Draco's opinion. He just didn't like it that it was the decoration for his 'betrothal ceremony' (he simply refuses to call it so much as a wedding).

He looked like a boy lost in a toy store, his head swiveling from left to right. Some pews (pews? Hee hee) were there on one side, and a gigantic hourglass stood on the other. Yes, it was gigantic because it was about two times Draco's height. Hagrid could stand there easily!

His mother caught her attention. She was the only one except Draco in this hall to be fully against the wedding (BETROTHAL CEREMONY!). She was the only one who could see Draco's pain and wince at him, knowing she was helpless, regardless of her intentions.

Astoria sent Draco a simpering smile, but the venom from it seeped through, saying, "_Don't you dare take your eyes off me when I'm making my heels crumble the pavement/carpet."_ Or that's what it meant when Draco put it into words.

As soon as Astoria's foot touched the platform where Draco was standing, the oak doors banged open.

"I OBJECT!" Hermione Malfoy shouted, leaning against the doorframe with one arm, her other grasping her head. Her hair fell on her face, but Draco could clearly see she was panting.

"HERMIONE!" he roared and tugged at the chains. They rattled and shook and clanged with each other. Hermione looked up at him and smiled. Her chocolate orbs roved to the girl next to her, and her smile turned instantly into a repulsed scowl.

"GREEENGRAAASSS!" she bellowed, her voice filling every space unit in the Great Hall. The audience winced. How low could her voice go without using Sonorus?

"Oh please, Granger!" Astoria snapped. "I thought you were a Mudblood! You're supposed to say your objection _after the priest says 'Speak now or forever hold your peace'! _You're not supposed to be barging in here! You're supposed to walk in later! Much, much later!"

If Draco was unchained, he would have smacked his forehead there and then.

Hermione snorted humorlessly. "Honestly, Greengrass! Use your brain, if you have any! Did you _really _think I'd wait for that stupid phrase? It's only there so it could have dramatic effect! Anyone could object anytime, as long as it's _before _the 'you may kiss the bride' part! Sheesh!"

Astoria flushed. "Now the dramatic effect is ruined…"

Hermione ignored her. "And besides, you don't even know what's happening to me and Draco! When that preacher binds you two, I'm going to die. _Literally,"_ she stressed seriously. Astoria was beside herself with glee.

"But wait!" Hermione intervened. Astoria huffed indignantly and put her arms on her hips childishly and pouted like a seriously ugly barracuda with blond hair and wearing make-up. "After an hour of being newlyweds, Draco will also die. Such is the consequence of the curse on the wedding that detects infidelity, and, unfortunately, this counts."

Astoria screamed like a madman (err, mad_woman),_ and the bells began to toll. Everyone in the vicinity jumped up and hurried away except, of course, for the bride, the wife, and the husband-slash-groom. There was definite tension in the air, battling with humidity. Astoria was panting, her hands curled into claws.

"BITCH! YOU RUINED MY WEDDING!" she shouted.

"DOUBLE BITCH! YOU ALMOST RUINED MY LIFE!" Hermione roared back.

Astoria pulled out her wand and made the chains vanish. Draco noticed and started running towards Hermione when Astoria flicked her wand again and Draco disappeared.

"Where did you take him?" Hermione shouted, feeling her head spin at all the shouting. She put one hand against the pillars to support her as she tried to steady her revolving mind.

Astoria only laughed maniacally. "There's your precious Draco," Astoria replied, mimicking a baby's voice while pointing to the huge hourglass where Draco was pounding hard from the inside. Hermione winced as she moved and was vaguely remembered about Bellatrix Lestrange's voice when they were confronted at the Department of Mysteries.

Hermione jabbed her wand at the hourglass and said a quick incantation. There was a flash of light and a hole was created at the side. Draco scrambled out and Hermione chained him to her just in case. They looked up at Astoria, who just gaped stupidly at them.

"Forgotten that I'm a witch, too, Greengrass?" Hermione said in a whisper, smirking a Malfoys' smirk.

Astoria snarled, gripping her wand tightly. Hermione growled, her straight body deformed into a menacing pose. They revolved around in a circle, not unlike Harry and Voldemort did when they had their final match. Draco looked at the both of them and he had a disturbing thought that they were reincarnated from wolves.

"You'll pay for this, Greengrass!" Hermione roared as she sent the first spell.

As such, the duel began.

* * *

**A/N: _Was it okay? :)) Please review, cmon! That oneshot I did had a few hundred hits, a few people put it in their favorites, but not one single revIew! :'(_**


	14. At Draco's Mercy

A/N: _Yeaaaaah, so sorry for the late update. I was uber busy (reading John Grisham, Nicholas Sparks, and midway through a James Patterson pocketbook) and my birthday (January 31). I think this is the second to the last chapter, so I'll be saying goodbye again :( So, anyways, I'm uploading this on a WEEKDAY, coz its Chinese New Year, and my school's majoring in Mandarin Chinese, so get the point? Yeah? Yeah. :))_

_Happy Chinese New Year, guys! From Zhang Hui Ping! (My Chinese name, made-up by Vietnamese sisters that teach Chinese in our school)_

_ENJOY! :))_

_**DRACO**_

Streaks of light flew from each other's wands as the true Malfoy mistress dueled endlessly versus the Draco's-wife-wannabe. Both were snarling and dancing around, and Draco thought they looked just like Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange during the War before Mrs. Weasley killed her Aunt. There was a fluttering of hope in that thought wherein Molly was Hermione, and the other one was his aunt.

"_Crucio!_" Astoria shouted. Draco's face was twisted into a horrified expression as the Cruciatus Curse only brushed Hermione's arm and landed in the hourglass, which exploded and sent pieces of glass shards and wood and fine dust in every direction.

"_HA!"_ Draco heard Hermione yell triumphantly beyond the circle of dust between them. He coughed and saw a purple streak of light from Hermione's end. Astoria yelped.

"'_Ha!' yourself, Granger!" _Astoria sneered her last word as the dust started to envelope Draco and dragged him into the duel. He struggled fruitlessly and was held still by a pair of warm arms, though, strangely, Draco did not feel welcome or home in it.

He looked across the small circle and screamed, for his terror and agony were more than anything words can ever behold.

_**HERMIONE **_

She laid in a bloody heap, the long lacerations on her arms, legs and face stinging as beads of blood continued to be let loose. She panted heavily, her hair in the way, though she could see Astoria doing something – _bending the dust – _to do her will.

Hermione tried to stand up, but failed, her wobbly knees betraying her as they hit the floor hard with a dull sound. She still tried to duel, her wand hand gripping her beloved companion as if her life depended on it, which, she thought ironically, it did.

There was a flash of light and she was forced down, her head banging on the floor. Astoria laughed as stars and spots started to show on Hermione's eyes. She barely felt the blood pooling around her head and hair. Her breathing slowed down and even though there was so much fight still in her, she uncontrollably thought about the next world of whims.

She was about to close her eyes and hopefully drift through the Veil when she heard the most pitying sound in her whole life – a wail of pure agony.

"_NOOO!_" someone cried out, garbled with that person's fear and despair. Hermione deftly recognized him, but her head was all fuzzy and the blood loss wasn't helping. She heard someone running across the duel circle and crouched down beside her. Foreign liquid – hot and inexplicably comforting – dropped continuously on her hand. "Hermione… Hermione don't leave me…"

Hermione wanted to smile sadly, to tell the person that it'll be alright; that this was for him, that it has to be this way; that she wasn't afraid for the Otherworld. She couldn't, though, for all those words were lost into the comforting hug Draco gave her with a grip that could be him trying to withdraw her from Death's already advancing arms.

Then there was a searing pain at the back of her head and Hermione lost consciousness.

No one noticed Draco slip Hermione's wand in his pocket with his face twisted in a lifelong service of vengeance if Hermione would die in his arms, then and now.

_**DRACO**_

"_So,_" Astoria's voice drifted to the couple, and Draco got ready as he silently healed the deep cuts all over Hermione's body, "This is how it's going to end."

She stated the words slowly, step by step closer to them. He made up his mind: to avenge Hermione, even though she's not dead (she _can't!_ he thought), and to wipe out the name 'Greengrass' besmirching his and Hermione's life – Once. And. For. All.

Astoria touched his shoulder gently, and even though it was a warm, sunny day, and the sun was shining through the glass ceiling of the Great Hall, Draco felt as though hell had frozen over as Astoria said the words, "The best woman won, Granger."

Draco turned around and hid his anger under his mask of despair and sadness. "How could you do this?" he rasped. "She never did anything to you – "

"-except get you from me, the rightful Malfoy mistress in this lifetime," Astoria improvised, cutting him off.

"I AM NOT A PLAYTHING THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE 'RIGHTFULLY OWNED'!" he roared, making Astoria jump and step back – five steps back. "YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME! YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF US! I LOVE HERMIONE, AND SHE LOVES ME! I CHOSE TO BE WITH HER _OUT OF FREE WILL!_"

"Ah, Draco," Astoria whispered, shaking her head calmly despite the fact that she almost wet in her wedding gown at his tone, "That Mudblood," she spat, her already-grotesque face twisting in disdain as she said the word, "enchanted you into loving her. Don't you see? She spiked love potion on you – "

"OH, DON'T GIVE ME THAT SACKFUL OF BULLSHIT, GREENGRASS!" he bellowed, advancing on her, with every angry stride of his matched to her ten teensy tiny ballerina steps, "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO'D WANT TO GIVE ME LOVE POTION FROM THE MOMENT YOU GOT OBSESSED AND KNEW THAT I WAS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE!"

"BECAUSE I KNEW YOU WERE WASTING YOUR TIME!" she cried out hysterically, "I KNEW I WAS THE ONE; I KNEW I WAS YOUR ONE TRUE LOVE! BUT THEN YOU GOT GOOGLEY-EYES ON GRANGER AND MY SHINING MOMENT WAS RUINED!"

"And what – just _what – _makes you think _you're so special?" _he sneered. Astoria gulped looking at the cold grey eyes Draco knew was burning with anger fueled by the desire of vengeance, "Just what made you think that you were the one for me, that you were the love of my life? Tell me – _what do you have that my Hermione doesn't?"_

Astoria was shocked speechless for a long time, staring at Draco's face with a triumphant smirk plastered on it. She gulped again, fiddled with the gigantic ribbon on her waist nervously, and finally said, "Blood Status."

Draco snorted. "HA! That doesn't count, Greengrass. I don't effing _care _if she's a Muggleborn. Ironically, I never wanted to be a pureblood," his smirk widened as Astoria gasped in horror, "Yes, I've wanted riches. No, I never really liked being in power."

He drew out Hermione's wand, confident that she wasn't dead, and felt the familiarity of her warm hands in his through her wand. Astoria looked as if her eyes were saucers.

"That is going to change, "he continued, "For this time, I am in power. I want to. You are at my mercy, and you will pay for what you did to my wife."

He then slashed down his wand with overwhelming fury, bellowing like a madman, totally getting lost in his anger. Astoria stepped back, not wanting to hurt Draco. She sent spells flying in the wrong direction purposely. Some she aimed at Hermione's frail form. Those spells Draco deflected with amounting fury.

"You _DARE _hit someone so helpless?" he roared, sending a Jelly-Legs Jinx at her, which she ducked from. "CRUCIO!"

This time the Unforgivable hit Astoria square in the chest, and she writhed in agony, filling the Great Hall with anguished cries to stop. Draco didn't as much as flinch, his loathing mixing with righteous anger flowing from Hermione's wand. Once he had his fill, he muttered, "Incarcerous." Ropes flew from his wand and bound Astoria, who was still shivering.

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" Harry screamed from outside. Draco turned around and saw Harry running as fast as he could towards Hermione. He cradled Hermione's head drenched in her own blood in his lap and cried, "Draco, what the hell happened?"

"Harry, first things first, CALM. DOWN." He instructed. Harry nodded and took several deep breaths before Draco continued. "Now, arrest Greengrass and let me take care of Hermione."

"Will it hurt?" Harry whispered, blinking back tears. Draco would've found it worth a sneer if he'd still be in the Dark side.

"It won't. It's just like Muggle stitches, only not painful."

"How would you know?"

"You _did_ Sectumsempra me in sixth year, right?"

Harry turned bright pink. "J… Just do it, okay?" he said, avoiding the subject. "And I'm sorry for that."

"Yeah, yeah. You don't need to tell me, Harry," Draco said, reliving his old cocky self – in a good way. "Like I'd let my wife die pooling in her life's worth of blood?"

* * *

**A/N: _I liked the ending, even though I just thought of that today. Hahahaha, :))_**

**_Review? c:_**


	15. The Sudden Twist

**A/N: **_First of all, again, I apologize for being super late. We've got exams, and it starts today. Fortunately, it's Friday, and no exams on weekends, then exams on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then... BOOM! No more classes! :DDD_

_This might be a little fast, cause I just though this chapter over for gazillions of times (in the shower). So, dear readers, this is, officially, the second to last chapter. And please enjoy it. TT^TT_

* * *

Harry limped away from the horrendous scene, not wanting to take in the sight of Hermione in the brink of death. _Please let her be alright, _he prayed while dragging Astoria's bound body behind, _I can't bear it if she goes as well. Ron departing had made a hole in my life. Merlin, don't take Hermione!_

There was a sudden shriek and a flurry of blond hair, followed by the smack of a hand on flesh. The sound bounced off the walls, making an echo until the other side of the corridor.

Harry, who thanked profusely that he was not on the receiving end of that smack, goggled at the form panting in front of him. The person had hatred in her eyes, her shoulders hunched, her wand drawn. Another woman materialized behind her, and Harry got another bolt of realization.

"Hello, Harry," Luna Lovegood said in her ever serene voice. Her smile made him feel like he was sixteen once more. "As you see here, I've brought evidence that the Malfoys have been following the wrong woman."

"Yes," the other Astoria said, huffing. Harry looked at her, then at the other tied behind him, and stared.

"Wait!" said Harry, waving his arms around. "Luna, it's great to see you again, but we've got important matters at hand; what the hell's going on here? I mean, _two _Astorias?"

"No," the free Astoria said, venom in her voice. Again Harry dwelled in the fact that the former Slytherin's hate was not directed at him. "There is only one Astoria Greengrass, and that is me. I have not meddled with the Malfoys since my release a few months ago. Indeed, the twelve years has matured me, and I don't see any satisfying reason to avenge myself for all these years."

"But then," Harry sputtered pathetically, his arms flitting back and forth. "Who is this?"

The Astoria in front of him smiled and said, "I will say this to you, but only if we go to the Great Hall. I shall want my name to be cleared at the same time the filth was passed on to the other. Surely there is less effort and suspicion if I present myself in front of the victims."

* * *

"_Renervate! Renervate!" _Draco cried helplessly as red bolt after red bolt shot through Hermione's healing body. He had dried off the blood and was healing the lacerations, but Hermione was still unconscious. Due to a spell that surveyed her internal organs, she had received punches to the stomach and a blow to the head that increased the blood loss.

"Draco!" came Harry's scream from the corridor. He looked up and strained his ears. Harry had come with two more people, but he did not know who they were, given that he was only listening to their footsteps. Harry's voice came nearer as he shouted, "Astoria's innocent!"

"What?" Draco roared, standing up. To say that he was enraged was an understatement – does one actually think they could wrong the youngest Malfoy and get away with bewitching the only help he had? "What do you mean, Greengrass is innocent? She bloody tried to kill Hermione!"

"Then you don't know me very well," Astoria cried from behind Harry as they appeared in the Great Hall. The light shone on her pale face, throwing the bags under her eyes in the spotlight, though Draco had never seen her more determined. She looked around the rubble from the last fight and smirked. "I don't like white. If I was one to decorate a wedding, I'd go for gold and black, regardless of House colors."

"G-Greengrass?" Draco said incredulously, and then he shook his head. "No, no. There is no logical reason behind this if Astoria is innocent. I demand you, impostor, that you lift the enchantment off him!" He pointed to Harry, who held up his hands.

"Draco, please calm down," Luna's voice drifted from the other side of the Hall, and everyone jumped, having forgotten of the former's presence. Luna stepped forward valiantly, with no hesitation, and continued, "If you will need advice to clear your angered mind, I shall be happy to assist you."

Draco crossed his arms defiantly, showing he was not going to budge. "I'm listening."

"No," Luna corrected as she produced a vial in her hand. "You will be watching, as well."

She walked over to the Astoria bound beside Harry. The one tied down was squirming and kicking to no avail. Muffled screams came out from the handkerchief tied around her mouth. Luna pushed down the handkerchief, and, before the impostor shrieked an insult or a spell, dipped the content of the vial inside her mouth.

They all watched her gulp down the substance, and in seconds they witnessed her eyes get lack-luster not unlike when Sherlock Holmes was thinking intently. She stopped squealing like a pig and sat down behaved.

"Tell me, impostor," Luna said, her serene voice changing into a harsh inquiry, "Are you, or are you not, Astoria Greengrass?"

"No," came the immediate reply, accompanied with an extra shake of the head for emphasis.

Astoria raised her eyebrows at Draco as Luna interrogated again. "How did you make these people arrive at the conclusion that you are indeed the real Greengrass you tried hard to impersonate?"

"Research, much observation," the impostor reeled on, swaying her head, "Interrogation of her Housemates, of course."

"How did you manage to fool these people?"

"Simple," the other replied with a dreamy smile, "Polyjuice Potion."

"Have you or have you not subjected Astoria's sister, Daphne, to the Imperius Curse?"

"I have."

"And did you, by any means, plot this from the very beginning?"

"Of course."

"What was your motive?"

"To give Hermione Granger a piece of her own medicine," the fake Astoria said. Draco had a sudden urge to leap and crush her windpipe to be stopped by the sudden falling of tears. "She was the reason he was gone, the reason why I'm lonely, the reason why I'm being tortured every single day with a cold bed."

Silence rang through those harsh words. Luna tapped her foot, pondering. The true Astoria looked at her nails, tapping her foot also. Harry was gaping at the situation, and Draco was dumbfounded, arms swinging uselessly.

"Who are you?" The final question was asked by the real Astoria, her cold eyes boring holes into the other. Luna shook her head at the same time the impostor said no.

"I will show you," Luna said firmly, stepped back, and drew out her wand. A flash of blue light came out and suddenly the blond hair became brown, the face getting distorted, and Draco recognized who she was.

"You evil scumbag!" Came someone's cry, and after a flurry Hermione was upright, choking the life out of Lavender Brown, who was turning blue.

"Hermione!" Draco shouted happily alongside Harry.

"_Lavender Brown?" _Astoria and Hermione shrieked indignantly.

Luna was the only one who had a calm expressionless face.

"How could you?" Hermione said, eyes filled with hatred. "How could you even _think _of that? I did _nothing _to hurt Ronald! I did not beg for him to die in my stead! It was of free will!"

"A free will that has been tainted with your Muggleborn Charms!" Lavender had managed to squeal out. "Tell me, Granger, have you been feeding Ronald with Love Potion injected in Chocolate Cauldrons since first year?"

"You fool!" cried the other, getting a better grip. "I haven't even known what Chocolate Cauldrons were until that girl Romilda Vane had injected a Love Potion intended for Harry! And if you had brains and actually used them for the greater good, you would know that consistent love potions don't have a lasting effect whatsoever if abruptly stopped! I should know – Harry knows – bloody hell, even Voldemort's parents knew!"

"How can I believe you? You were the smartest witch of our age! Perhaps you have addled with dark magic, siphoning the 'free will' of Won-won and leaving him in a mindless state of worship!"

"Can you even hear yourself?" Hermione replied with a sarcastic laugh. "First you have accused me into giving love potion; next you've insisted that I was a master of Dark Arts! Tell me, Brown, are you sending desperation signals? For I do not feel them, not at all!"

"Enough!" Astoria roared over the argument, and all eyes turned toward her. She calmed down immediately. "What if we just turn her over for addling with marriage – it would be a law by now."

"How can you tell?" Draco asked. Just then, an owl hooted from overhead, carrying an edition of _The Quibbler, _which was presently being managed by Luna. The owl dropped it into Harry's hand, who read the main topic, which was printed in red letters:

**MINISTRY APPROVES ANTI-MEDDLING LAW; SUGGESTOR OF THE BILL STILL UNKNOWN**

"Wait," Harry said, looking over uncertainly at Astoria, who smiled, "you're joking, aren't you?"

"No, I am not," she answered, and the Boy Who Lived deflated. "I suggested that from the beginning of this whole ordeal, and I am pleased that this resulted into good fortune in the nick of time."

Hermione looked longingly at Lavender Brown's reddish neck. "Too good of a timing," she huffed, and then squealed, for Draco was making her literally breathless with an embrace that could choke.

"Do you really want me to die?" Hermione breathed after Draco profusely apologized.

"Not at all," he answered quickly. Draco smiled apologetically.

Hermione grinned in return. "Come on," she said, "I think justice is in order."

Harry's stomach grumbled, and he turned a shade of Ron's hair, which made Lavender cry even more. Hermione turned and saw Harry grinning sheepishly.

"No justice for me, thanks," Harry said, "I just want a burger."

"Approved," Draco replied, and he glanced down at Hermione. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied, grinning. She took his hand and led the party away, leaving the accursed wedding, hauling a grumbling, obsessed maniac none too mercifully down the stairs.

* * *

**A/N: *stomach grumbles* _Now I'm hungry :(_**

**_While I'm eating french fries, how about a little review? :DDD_**

**_((I know I'm pushing my luck, but what's there to lose? Ahahahaha ))_**


	16. Back to the Course of Normality

_**GREENGRASS PROVEN INNOCENT!**_

_By Cindy Marquez_

_The controversial wedding between Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy had been called off, says Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived, witness to the event. He claimed that the anomalies and cases that were filed against Greengrass in the past six months had been proven null and void, mainly because Greengrass has not been in the plan all along._

_Later on, we found out that Draco Malfoy's wife, Hermione Granger-Malfoy, a member and the brains of the Golden Trio, had had a duel with and was driven to the brink of death by the supposed-married bride. _

"_Yes, it was true," said Potter in confirmation. "Hermione did duel, but not Astoria. It was another person in disguise for six months."_

_The unpredictable had been revealed when Potter says that the one to be credited for all this mess is one Lavender Brown, a former Gryffindor in Potter's, Granger's, and Malfoy's year._

_Luna Lovegood, the owner and publisher of _The Quibbler,_ a close friend of the Potters and Malfoys, a worker in the Department of Mysteries, and a private investigator in the Muggle world, had been staying tune to all the news about the wedding._

"_It seemed wrong," Lovegood had recounted, "Draco loved Hermione, and Astoria would've ran out of reasons to avenge on Hermione. Plus, that ungodly shade of blonde hair was not the one Astoria would've picked."_

_Lovegood then saw that Brown had been missing, and when she tried to contact her as friends would, her voice would be unnaturally high._

"_Then I knew that she was disguised as Astoria when I saw the color motif of the wedding," Lovegood explained. "Astoria never went for green and white, regardless of House colors. Over the years she had grown into gold and black, and she personally told me over tea before she was imprisoned that that was what she wanted in a wedding."_

_Then Lovegood went on her own Holmes-like investigation, and had arrived to the conclusion that Miss Brown was indeed impersonating the youngest Greengrass. _

_While in the interrogation room, Brown had come to her own defense._

"_Granger did this," she spat wild-eyed. "She did this to me. She did this to Ron. She just wanted everything for herself, and, frankly, no one ever gives her enough."_

Draco slammed the article down the table, making the glass rattle. He could never bear a "hate" article against him or his family. _And this particular one's going straight to the trash, _he concluded even before finishing the whole piece.

"Dad?" Megara's voice floated over to him, and he snapped his head up. His lovely daughter was holding a blue crayon in one hand, a smudged drawing in another. Draco felt a spasm of guilt go through him as he realized his action beforehand had ruined her picture.

"Yes, Meg?" he replied nervously, not meeting her eyes.

"Why are you angry at the newspaper?" She asked, tilting her head. Draco sighed.

"Nothing, Meg." He reached out for her, and she scuttled to him. "It's because of that crazy lady fighting with mommy."

Megara scrunched up her face in remembering that crazy lady's name. Finally she said, "I can't remember, but her name was colors."

"Yes. Lavender Brown."

Megara made an "Eww" face that made Draco laugh. "Dad, why are you laughing?"

"Because you've got my face. I always do that when I was young if I hear Brown's name."

"Why?"

Another voice answered her. "Because Brown was very bad to daddy and mommy and Uncle Harry."

"Hey, Mione," Draco called to his wife, who was standing by the doorway, arms crossed. There were faint scars on her arms where the skin showed, and Draco internally winced. "I thought you were with Luna?"

"I came home early." Hermione sat down beside him and transferred Megara with a squeal to her lap. She pointed a finger at her and said, "No more bad words, okay?"

"Okay, mommy," the little girl answered, nodding her head. Hermione kissed her forehead, then asked, "Where's your brother?"

Before Meg could answer, there was a squeal of delight coming from outside. "Dad! Mom! Meg! I'm doing loops!"

"Loops?" Hermione screeched and bounded for the door. Draco did the same, Megara trailing behind. They could all hear Hermione screaming, "Michelangelo Scorpius Malfoy! Get down from your broomstick or else!"

"Or else what?" Michael screamed, too ecstatic on the clouds to see his mother turn red with anger.

"Or else you'll be grounded for two years – no television, no wands if not necessary – and I'll break that stupid flying twig in half, you hear me?"

That had a huge impact on Michael. He went flying down to the ground, his feet thumping on the grass. He had the sense to look sorry.

"Am I grounded?" he whispered. Draco patted his back.

"No, champ. But you'll stay in your room with Meg today, okay?" he offered.

"Okay," he replied. He left his broomstick on the ground, beckoned his twin sister, and hurried off to their room. Hermione slumped on the doorway, hand on her temple. Draco panicked.

"You alright?" he asked nervously.

"I'm fine," she answered, opening her eyes. "Killer headache is all."

"Why don't you lie down for a bit?"

"I said I'm fine," she snapped, and sighed. "Sorry. The press is just so annoying."

"Ignore them," he advised.

Hermione scoffed. "Yeah, like they would give up after I turned them down."

"They will," Draco persisted.

"Oh yeah? Remember when _someone _told Rita Skeeter that I was playing Harry and Krum?"

Draco flushed. "Hey, I already said I was sorry – "

Hermione laughed, and Draco relaxed. "Hey, come on! No fair!"

She clutched her stomach as she gasped for breath. There was a knock on the door and all of the Potters materialized in the backyard.

"Hey," Harry said casually, looking around. "What's going on?"

"Harry," Draco replied. "Why'd you even knock when you have permission in the wards to Apparate to the manor?"

Harry shrugged. "Uncle Vernon showed me how a belt works for naughty children when I was five. My cousin Dudley had this fund raising program – you know, like those girl scouts selling chocolate or cookies – and I was the one to sell instead of him. One time I went inside the Gilmores' house without knocking and I saw… something…" he faltered, flushing, then shrugged. "Anyway… they saw me and complained to my uncle." Harry shivered at the thought.

Hermione, who had slipped beside Draco, nudged him meaningfully. "Sorry," Draco mumbled.

"No, it's alright," Harry answered, waving a hand. "It's nothing."

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Hermione asked Ginny, who was holding the two boys' wrists tightly so as not for them to run free for the playground at the west wall.

"Oh, we wanted to treat you guys to Diagon Alley," Ginny replied. "It's been a long time since we went out."

"Yeah," Draco said. "I'll go get the kids." He went upstairs and told the twins to get dressed. They were jumping for joy, and he internally smiled that their lives were back on the course of normality. Finally, Michael and Megara were ready; they headed downstairs to the front door where the group was waiting.

"Alright," Harry said, his stomach rumbling audibly. "Let's go!"

Harry and Ginny went first, with Albus and James trailing behind, walking backwards so they could talk to the Malfoy twins. Draco and Hermione stayed behind to get some privacy.

She leaned on his shoulder and sighed. "I miss this, you know."

"Me too." Draco kissed her hair and looked down at her beaming at him, the last rays of the setting sun playing on her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too." There was no hesitation in her reply, and so was the kiss that followed. Perfection was in his grasp, Draco thought, as his fingers got lost in her hair, which was trailing behind like a long, wavy scarf.

"Oi!" They broke up suddenly, Harry with his hands on his hips. Draco and Hermione laughed as they ran hand-in-hand to where they would Apparate. Ginny was clicking her tongue meaningfully, and the kids were snickering as Megara and Michael's parents grasped Harry's and Ginny's hands.

And then the grounds of Malfoy Manor suddenly went quiet as the raucous group left with a faint _pop!_

* * *

**_A/N: _**_It's the end, and I really want to cry, but I'm dehydrated right now so I'll save the waterworks for later. TT^TT R&R pleeaaase!_


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